


On the Edge of the Blade

by Kittens



Series: Twisted Blade [1]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Blood, Eventual Happy Ending, Feelings, Force Choking, Inappropriate Use of the Force, M/M, Non-Consensual Touching, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Power Imbalance, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Under-negotiated Kink, Violence, Virgin Kylo Ren, or whatever passes for happy with these two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-04-05 12:16:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 38,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14044104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittens/pseuds/Kittens
Summary: Kylo hates his new job but it does come with some perks.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this story is kind of a mess so tags might change or be added depending on how the editing goes. This is my first attempt at fanfiction in a long as time so I'm trying to make it less sucky than it is right now, so no idea how long it'll take to get everything up.

For the first time since declaring himself Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren had a moment to himself. If he had been thinking clearly in the moment, he might not have so hastily taken the title, but in the moment, he had no other option. Now, he had to live with the consequences.

Five days after Crait, after his latest failure, he slumped against the wall of his quarters, fully prepared to sleep right there instead of dragging himself to his bed. He knew he desperately needed sleep, having used the Force to keep himself awake for the past several days. While he had managed to go longer without sleep in the past, it wasn’t something he liked to do. 

As much as he might need sleep, there was one other thing that Kylo needed to do first, the one thing he knew the First Order needed and the thing only he could do. With the Force, he knew he could find the remnants of the Resistance. Despite this, he’d been pestered for days with mundane details about things he simply didn’t care about. What did he care about what happened with the remains of the Supremacy or which ship was sent where? It felt like everyone suddenly forgot how to do their jobs. Surely, Snoke never had to deal with such boring tasks.

Closing his eyes, he reached out with the Force, looking for that familiar presence. As he searched, it occurred to him that there were several people he could attempt to find - Rey, Chewbacca, his mother, and even that pilot or the traitorous stormtrooper. Still, he focused his search only on Rey.

Kylo had no idea how long he sat on the floor, looking in the Force for the girl. It might have taken minutes or hours, but he felt her presence, far away, but he felt it clear enough he knew he could track her if he had enough time. If she realized he was looking for her, she’d probably find a way to block him. That meant he needed to take things slow and be careful. It was far from his strong suit.

He kept expecting Rey to realize what he was up to and shut him out, but to his surprise, she had nothing to do with losing the connection. Because he had been so focused on Rey, he hadn’t realized anyone had approached his door, and of course, it had to be the one person who could bypass his security.

“Go away,” Kylo grumbled as Hux walked through the door. Now that he officially outranked the general, he would have to ensure that he changed his security access so he couldn’t barge in on him.

“What are you doing down there, Ren?” Hux asked, frowning at him.

“I told you to get out.”

“I need you to decide - “

“I don’t care,” Kylo cut him off. “Whatever it is, you figure it out.”

“Ren,” Hux started to speak, but he looked towards the door when Kylo opened it using the Force. When he didn’t leave on his own, Kylo pushed him out the door, closing it behind him, all without ever standing up. 

Hoping that would be enough to discourage Hux from bothering him again, Kylo closed his eyes, but he no longer had any desire to try to find the Resistance. They'd still be on the run in several hours. Kylo could find them after some much needed rest.

 

A loud pounding on the door woke Kylo from his far too short nap. If he hadn’t refused to get up from the floor and made it to his bed, he might have managed to sleep through the noise. But with the sound right behind his head, it was impossible. 

He pulled himself to his feet and slammed the button to open the door with his hand. Without even caring to see who had knocked on his door, he raised his other hand fully prepared to kill whoever woke him up. He heard someone gasping for air before the door had fully opened, but as soon as he saw who stood on the other side, he released him.

“Oh,” he said, taking a step back. “It’s you.”

“Of course it’s me!” Hux snapped at him as soon as he had regained his breath. “Who else do you think would be at your door? And do you think you can go a single day without trying to kill me?”

“I’ve never tried to kill you,” Kylo said, not sure if it counted as a lie or not. He _had_ intended to kill whoever stood on the other side of his door, but only because he never imagined it would be Hux. “That’s more than I can say for you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about," Hux said, striding into the room and allowing the door to close behind him. "A tailor will be here to see you shortly. I suggest you get ready.”

“A tailor?”

“Yes, Ren, a tailor. Someone who takes your measurements and makes clothes that fit you.”

“I know what a tailor is. I just don’t know why I need one.”

“You’re the Supreme Leader now which means you can’t be meeting with dignitaries dressed like…” Hux waved his hand towards him. “That.”

“Meeting with dignitaries?” Kylo repeated to himself. He hadn’t actually considered what being Supreme Leader of the First Order would entail. He had only considered the part where no one would argue with him. Of course, it hadn't stopped Hux so far. “Can’t you do that?”

“No, I can’t. Even if I could, I wouldn’t. I will enjoy watching you fail.”

“Really? Even if it hurts the Order?”

“If what hurts the Order?”

“If I fail. I imagine there’s consequences if I don’t do this right. Why else would you bring a tailor?”

Hux remained silent for several moments, which surprised Kylo - Hux always had something to say and he thought that surely he had already thought of several ways that Kylo could single handedly destroy everything he’d worked so hard for. If he didn’t want to share those scenarios, Kylo wouldn’t pressure him to do so. He really didn’t want to hear it.

He walked over to his bed and took his boots off, wishing he’d thought to remove them before falling asleep. As he tossed them across the room, he briefly considered ordering Hux to clean them. After all, he still stood inside his quarters and Kylo had the authority to give him such orders. 

“Ren,” Hux spoke finally, walking a few steps closer. “Did you read my mind?”

“No,” he said automatically, glancing up at him, as he thought about the question. “Not recently, anyway.” He had certainly tried in the past, but he'd never managed to get anything useful from the man. In order to do that, he'd really need to press hard, and there was no way that would have gone unnoticed. But sometimes, he picked up some of Hux's stray thoughts without meaning too. Which, with the accusation leveled at him, he assumed must have just happened.

“You must have. I didn’t say that out loud. I know I didn’t. Stay out of my head, Ren!”

“Or what? You’ll complain to the Supreme Leader?” Ren grinned and stood up, walking over to Hux and standing inches from his face. “Please, General. I’m sure he’d love to hear your complaints.”

Even without trying, Kylo could feel the emotions inside of Hux. Some, Kylo expected, as they were the usual things he could feel from Hux on the rare occasions he could feel anything at all. But among the usual mixture of anger, loathing, and lust, Kylo found something he’d never sensed from Hux before.

Fear.

Although most people reacted to his presence with fear, Hux never had. Even when he’d tried to intimidate him, he’d never been successful. Now that he could sense his fear, Kylo decided he didn’t like it. He didn’t want Hux to be afraid of him.

He took a step back, giving him space, but Kylo could still feel how frightened Hux was. Still, he had the same scowl on his face, hiding his true emotions well to Kylo’s eyes, but hiding from the Force was much harder. As he backed away, the intense feeling a fear from Hux started to wane, but it didn’t disappear entirely.

“Sorry,” Kylo muttered, surprising himself with the apology. 

Hux’s mouth opened slightly, but he didn’t speak, although he did make a strange coughing sound like he was trying to form words but failing. Seeing Hux too shocked to speak was yet another new experience for Kylo, but he actually enjoyed his surprise, and couldn’t resist a smile as he walked back to his bed and sat down.

“Well, just don’t do it again,” Hux finally managed to say. Kylo glanced up at him and saw he had completely regained his composure.

“I wasn’t apologizing for that,” Kylo said, looking down at his sock-clad feet. “If I did read your mind just now, it wasn’t intentional. You were just thinking too loud. I didn’t mean to frighten you. That’s why I apologized.”

“Frighten me?” Hux scowled, or as Kylo thought of it, his normal expression. “I’m not scared of you.”

“Yes you are,” Kylo said, laying down on the bed. He would have liked to go back to sleep, although he suspected Hux might shoot him if he did. “I felt it in the Force. I’ll try not to attack you in the future.”

“This isn’t the time for a nap,” Hux said. “The tailor is on the way.”

“You mentioned that,” Kylo said, not moving. “But you didn’t mention why I’ve got to do this now. There’s more important things to be done.”

“Well, as you said several hours ago, you wanted me to decide on our next course of action. We’re on our way to meet with some of Snoke’s supporters. I’ll -”

“What? Why?” Kylo jumped to his feet, a surge of rage flooding his body. He just barely managed to resist the urge to take it out on Hux. Instead, he unintentionally used his power to knock several things off of shelves, sending them clattering to the ground. Even though Hux was perfectly safe, Kylo felt a brief spike of fear, although it vanished just as soon as everything settled down.

“Control yourself, Ren,” he snarled. “You’re the one who told me to make a decision, and I did. The first thing you need to do is ensure that the Order is held together. So we’re going to ensure that all the systems that supported Snoke also support you.”

“That’s a waste of time! I can track down what’s left of the Resistance! The longer it takes us to find them, the more dangerous they become! We can’t give them anymore time to find allies!”

“We’ve got other resources looking for them,” Hux said calmly. “Did you really think you could continue running around the galaxy chasing scavengers and traitors? You have responsibilities as Supreme Leader.”

“And one of those is to eliminate the Resistance.” He didn’t care what arguments Hux had - Kylo knew he was right. His first priority was to find the last of their enemies. He knew just how dangerous they could be if left alone for too long. Returning to his bed, he started to pull his boots back on.

“Where are you going?” Hux demanded. “You have an appointment - “

“We’re canceling that and any other stupid plans you made,” Kylo replied.

“Supreme Leader, please,” Hux pleaded. Kylo stopped what he was doing, leaving one boot half on as he gave Hux his full attention. If Hux was near begging, it did make things more interesting. “You’re scheduled to meet with leaders from four systems who have been long time supporters. If you suddenly cancel, it won’t make a good impression. I fully intend to support your claim to the title, but that will only do so much.”

Kylo didn’t move as he considered the general’s words. Part of him knew he was right and that he did have responsibilities besides hunting down the Resistance, but he also very much wanted to throw him across the room, march onto the bridge and demand they ignore any order Hux had given them. 

“It should only take a few days,” Hux continued. “Once we’ve secured their support, you can do whatever you want.”

“Fine,” Kylo agreed, already planning on ways he could make Hux suffer along with him. “But if you ever do something like this again, I will demote you. When’s your stupid tailor going to be here?”

“He’s on his way from the hangar now,” Hux said. “And if I may offer some advice, it might be better if you could refrain from pouting in front of anyone else. It doesn’t suit the leader of the Order.”

“I’m not pouting,” Kylo said, but even he could hear a slight whine in his voice. “I’ll need you to stay while he’s here.”

“What could you possibly need me for? You do realize you’ll need to take off most of your clothes, right?”

“You’ve seen me training before,” Kylo said with a shrug. “And I’m going to be so exposed, I’ll need protection. How do I know this tailor isn’t going to try to kill me?”

“We have stormtroopers,” Hux said. “Any one of them would surely be more suited to the task.”

“I want you,” Kylo said. “Consider it an order.” 

Hux fell silent, which was just how Kylo liked him. Having just given him an order, Kylo realized he could order him to always be silent in his presence or any other number of things. He could even play the dangerous game of seeing just how far he could push the man. 

Kylo took his boots off for the second time. This time, he followed it by removing his other layers until he was wearing his pants and his undershirt. From the corner of his eye, he could see Hux was looking at him, and although he had a look of contempt across his face, the Force told him he was feeling something much different. Kylo had known for some time about the strange feelings Hux had for him, and it was always a pleasure to show off his body in front of the general, knowing exactly where his thoughts would go. 

It was very tempting for Kylo to take off even more of his clothes, but with the tailor’s arrival imminent, he didn’t want to do so. Had it only been Hux, he might have done so, but he didn’t exactly enjoy being so exposed in front of strangers. He didn’t wear so many layers without reason.

Finally, the door buzzed. Kylo didn’t move a muscle, instead, looking straight at Hux until he walked over and opened the door, allowing the tailor in along with a droid. He was an unremarkable man, someone Kylo could pass on the streets of a dozen different worlds and never take notice of.

“Supreme Leader,” he said, smiling as he took several steps towards Kylo, stopping only when he held up his hand. “I understand you’re in a hurry, so if you’re ready, we can get started. My droid can scan you for your measurements.”

“No,” Kylo said, having just decided how to punish Hux for his terrible plan. Although he wasn't entirely sure it was much of a punishment. “I don’t trust droids. You do have more traditional tools, don’t you?”

“Of course,” the man said, glancing to Hux. “Of course, it’s not as quick and the droid does a remarkable job,..”

“No droid,” Kylo insisted.

“Very well.” The tailor put his small case down and opened it up, removing a small fabric coil. He unwound it in his hand and nervously looked towards Kylo. “I… I will need to approach… in order to do this.”

“Give it to Hux. He’ll measure, you write it down.”

“What?” Hux nearly shouted, briefly losing his composure. “Supreme Leader, I am hardly qualified!”

“It’s simple,” Kylo said. “If you can command a fleet, you can do this.”

The tailor clearly had no desire to argue and held his measuring tape out to Hux. For several moments, Kylo thought he might have found his limits, but finally, he took the tape and walked over to Kylo, seething rage building up as he did so. He tossed his greatcoat on the bed, on top of Kylo’s robes.

“I hate you,” he grumbled, keeping his voice low so only Kylo could hear.

“Let’s get started,” Kylo said. 

Kylo thought it would be a very quick process. He’d had measurements taken before, but clearly, that tailor had not been quite so thorough. The First Order apparently had quite a decent one on payroll and he had Hux taking measurements of nearly every part of Kylo’s body.

They started on the arms, which went by easily enough, although the first time Hux’s cold hands touched him, Kylo jerked away. Hux seemed to be doing his best to avoid touching him, but he didn’t have much of a choice. Fortunately, the more Hux touched him, the warmer his hands became.

After the arms, the tailor moved on to Kylo’s torso, taking measurements of his shoulders, chest, and waist as well as length. Then, he asked for the measurement around his neck, and Kylo realized he might have made a mistake. He didn’t like the idea of Hux putting anything around his neck, even something as flimsy as the measuring tape. Of course, Kylo was far from defenceless if Hux did try anything, but he really didn’t want to be bothered with such things.

As Hux wrapped the thin fabric around his neck, Kylo couldn’t resist looking into his mind, wondering just what he was thinking. If he was planning on attempting to choke him, at least Kylo would have some warning.

He wasn’t exactly surprised to find that Hux had already been thinking the exact same thing, although Kylo could sense no intention to follow through on that plan. Of course, Snoke hadn’t known Kylo’s intentions either.

Soon, Hux called out the number and removed the tape from his neck, not having harmed him at all and they moved on. Kylo could feel Hux’s agitation as they continued and he wondered if the tailor felt it as well, because after measuring his hips and waist to floor length, he had Hux measure around several different parts of Kylo’s legs. Finally, he asked Hux to measure the inseam.

Hux, who had just finished measuring his ankles, remained crouched down at his feet, and he looked up at Kylo. They didn’t say anything, but Kylo could feel his fear and he almost took pity on him, but he quickly realized it was different than before. In that moment, Hux wasn’t afraid of Kylo - he was afraid of himself. He was conflicted about whether or not he actually liked what he was doing and Kylo couldn’t tell what Hux would rather do.

“Do it,” Kylo ordered softly, making up Hux’s mind for him. 

Kylo expected Hux to hold the tape too low, but surprisingly, he didn’t. It hardly took any time at all for Hux to complete his task. Initially, Kylo had planned on insisting Hux ensure the measurement was correct, but even the briefest, most professional touch had been more than enough to make him lose the ability to speak. By the time he could think clearly again, Hux had crossed the room and returned the tape measure.

“We’ll just need to decide on some styles,” the tailor said. “I can have some simpler garments made in no time at all, but for some of the more complex designs, it may take up to a week.”

“Hux will decide on that,” Kylo said, waving the two of them away. The tailor was quick to head for the door, but Hux lingered just a bit, glowering at him. But he didn’t argue or say anything at all and followed the other man out, once again, leaving Kylo to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

With Hux and the tailor gone, Kylo wanted nothing more to go back to sleep, and preferably, stay that way for a few days. Or at the very least, a few more hours. He walked over to his bed and fell on it, closing his eyes and waiting for sleep to take him. When he found himself still awake after several minutes, he shifted position. And then again in another few minutes. Groaning, he sat up, realizing he wasn't going to manage to get back to sleep. And as much as he hated to admit it, he knew the exact reason why.

Hux's coat still sat on his bed, left behind when the general made his hasty exit. He kicked it to the floor in anger. It was Hux's fault he couldn't sleep. Damn Hux and all his awkward, lustful thoughts. Kylo always assumed that Hux's feelings for him were one-sided. But he'd never given it much thought before. Snoke had encouraged - if not outright demanded - celibacy. But Snoke was no more, and pursuing something with Hux was an option for him. It surprised him when he thought about it. Mostly, he was surprised by the fact that he could actually think of Hux in that way.

As tempting as it was to go running out to the bridge and ask Hux if he wanted to sleep with him, Kylo knew that would be the wrong approach. He wasn't even sure that he wanted that. Maybe it was just because Hux was the first person who touched him so intimately in a very long time. Maybe Kylo was just absorbing too many of Hux's own thoughts and confusing them with his own. Maybe he just needed to think of anything besides Hux.

Kylo took some deep breaths and tried to meditate, but he could not get his mind to focus. It felt like the more he tried to not think of Hux, the more fixated his mind became on the other man. He could even almost feel Hux's touch on his body again, and he knew that's what he wanted. Needed, even. He had the feeling it would be hard to concentrate until he managed to get Hux out of his mind.

Fortunately, he knew that Hux felt the same. But convincing him to act on those feelings was another matter. As often as Kylo had picked up on Hux's lewd thoughts in the past few years, he would have thought Hux would have propositioned him. But he never even hinted at it. Whatever his reasons for that were, Kylo decided that if he brought it up, Hux would surely jump at the chance to fulfill some of his fantasies.

Unable to sleep or meditate, Kylo found his way to the bridge. Even without the Force, he thought he would have felt the shift in mood among the officers when he arrived. Having no interest in most of the people on the bridge, he ignored them and headed straight for Hux, who was engaged in conversation with another officer.

“General,” Kylo said, interrupting. As soon as Hux raised his head to look at Kylo, he realized he had no idea what he was going to say. He certainly couldn’t proposition him right there in front of everyone. As soon as he thought of that, he realized he could, but Hux would hate him for it. He certainly wouldn't be inclined to accept.

“Supreme Leader,” Hux greeted him, a slight sneer on his face as he spoke. “I’ve just received our current status report. Would you like me to send it to you?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Kylo said, wondering if perhaps he should have accepted it as soon as he spoke. Perhaps looking over dull reports was something he would have to start doing now that he was the leader. 

“What can I do for you, then?”

“I have an idea on how to find the Resistance,” he said. “I would like to discuss it with you if you’re free.”

“I can spare a few moments,” Hux said.

“We can’t talk here,” Kylo replied. “And it might not be a quick conversation.”

“Right. Well, I’m sure I can leave the bridge for a while. Especially under orders from the Supreme Leader.”

Kylo felt his lip twitch, almost smiling at the sarcasm in Hux’s voice when he used his title. He liked it when Hux called him that, especially knowing how much he must hate it. Kylo doubted he could help the sarcasm from creeping in. 

As he started walking away, he was very conscious of Hux walking behind him. At the moment, he couldn’t sense anything from him in the Force, but that wasn’t unusual. When he was working, Kylo very rarely could get anything from him without trying, and clearly, the general was still in work mode. If there was ever a time to betray him, it would have been a good one.

Although Kylo felt certain he could stop Hux if he did try to kill him, he certainly hoped that wouldn’t happen. It would be a shame to have to kill him right when he realized what the two of them could have together. He might have wanted Hux dead in the past, and maybe he would again in the future if Hux ever did try to kill him. But Hux would certainly come up with a better plan than simply shooting him in the back in front of the entire bridge crew. He wouldn't want any witnesses. It didn't come as any great surprise that they made it to a nearby conference room without incident. 

“I thought you were going to leave the Resistance to the rest of the fleet,” Hux said as soon as the door was closed. “With any luck, they’ll be eliminated before you’ve finished your mission.”

“No,” Kylo said. “I want them alive. At least some of them. I need to speak to Rey.”

“Who the hell is Rey? You have friends in the Resistance?”

“She’s hardly a friend. She’s tried to kill me several times. I think you’d like her.”

“Perhaps if she could succeed.”

“That sounds like treason,” Kylo said. Only after he spoke did he realize Hux’s mouth hadn’t moved. 

“I thought I told you to stop doing that!” Hux snapped at him.

“I’m not trying to! You must really want me dead if you can’t stop yourself from thinking about it so loudly!”

“Maybe if you weren’t so infuriating all -”

Wanting to silence him, Kylo automatically raised his hand and cut off Hux’s air supply. Within seconds, Kylo released him, fully remembering why he had wanted to talk to him. Things were not proceeding as he had hoped.

“Sorry, Hux.” Kylo stepped over to him, reaching a gloved hand out to his collar and pushing it out of the way. He saw already-healing bruises there and gently ran a finger across his neck, causing him to flinch. “I really don’t want to hurt you.”

“I believe your record has been about twelve hours without injuring me,” Hux said, not moving from where he stood. Kylo’s hand dropped away, but he didn’t back away. “Did you actually need to talk to me, or did you just want to choke me again?”

“I probably shouldn’t feel too bad,” Kylo said. “You were going to shoot me.” When he said that, he felt a very short moment of panic from Hux. “You can’t honestly believe I didn’t know about that.”

“I…” Hux didn’t seem to know what to say. That was a first.

“I didn’t want to talk about that,” Kylo said. “I really think I can find the Resistance. But I’m having some trouble concentrating.”

“So go destroy something like you always do.”

“That won’t work. I, uh, made a mistake.”

“I’m shocked.”

“Do you remember when I had you take my measurements?” Kylo paused, but he didn’t really need an answer from Hux, so he continued. “I did that because, well, it was amusing. But also because I thought you might want to.”

“What would ever give you an idea like that?”

“I know how you feel about me.”

“I’m sure the entire First Order knows I hate you.”

“But that’s not the only thing you feel.”

“Ren, whatever you’re getting at -”

“The first time you saw me with my mask off,” Kylo said with a smirk, “you couldn’t believe that I’d hide such a pretty face. You then imagined what you’d like to do to with my face.”

A hint of red appeared on Hux’s face. Apparently, he hadn’t forgotten his own thoughts either. Kylo grinned, knowing he had so much more to use against him.

“But that was nothing compared to what you thought when you saw me training. I used to wear a lot more clothing when training, but once I know I could tease you, well, I couldn’t help it. You had some very interesting ideas of what you wanted to do to me. And what you wanted me to do to you. I really did enjoy some of your thoughts involving you on -”

“What’s your point, Ren?” Hux growled. “Do you want me to admit that I find you physically appealing? If so, fine. I do. But I still despise you.”

“I’m aware. You do sometimes have trouble hiding that as well. But that’s not important right now. So like I said, I thought you might enjoy doing the measurements. I didn’t exactly think through how I would feel about it.”

“I’m sorry you didn’t like me touching you, but it was your idea.”

“That’s not it,” Kylo said, trying to think of the best way to continue. He stepped over to the conference table and leaned back against it so he was nearly sitting on it. “The thing is, I liked it. You being that close. And touching me. I, uh, really haven’t had anyone do that for a while. I didn’t think I’d have any reaction. But the thing is, I can’t concentrate enough to find the Resistance because I keep thinking of you.”

“I see,” Hux said, no emotion in his voice. Kylo wasn’t picking up anything in the Force either, and he had to resist the urge to go digging for Hux’s emotions. “So you can use the Force to choke me, but not to do anything useful?”

“It’s not like that, Hux. It’s not like I can’t use the Force, but I need to focus if I want to find out where the Resistance is. And right now, anytime I try to clear my mind, all I can think about is you.”

“Should I transfer to another ship? Is that what you’re proposing?”

“No, not at all,” Kylo said. “I was thinking of, um…” He found it hard to maintain eye contact with Hux and found himself staring at a wall instead. “What if we just went through with it?”

Hux coughed, although Kylo wanted to think it wasn’t entirely his fault that time. It wasn’t the reaction he had hoped for, but it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

“Are you insane?” Hux finally asked. “Yes, I do find you incredibly attractive and I’m sorry that you can’t control yourself and stop getting in my head, but if you think that I’d _ever_ consider actually doing any of those things with you, you’ve lost what little sense you had.”

Kylo had expected reluctance and excuses. But an outright rejection? He hadn't even imagined that. Especially since he'd seen Hux's fantasies. He was stunned and even a little hurt at Hux's cruel words. He probably should have expected Hux to be that mean about it, although he was still having trouble believing he'd said no at all.

“Don’t give me that pathetic look,” Hux sneered. “Crying isn’t going to change my mind. If that’s all, I’ll be returning to the bridge.”

Hux walked past him, heading for the door, when Kylo remembered one very important thing. He was Hux’s superior.

“What if it was an order?”

Hux froze and slowly turned to face Kylo. For the longest time, he remained silent, looking at Kylo with a scowl on his face. 

“The longer you’re silent,” Kylo said, “the more I’m tempted to go inside your head.”

“What do you want me to say? My feelings are the same, but I won’t ignore an order. Is it?”

“Yes.” Kylo stood up and walked past Hux to the door. “Come to my quarters when your shift is over.”

“Of course, Supreme Leader.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took forever and that it's so short. It was longer but it had some stuff from Hux's perspective that I wasn't happy with 'cause I can't write Hux well. So I just took it out. Hopefully that makes it quicker for me to get out the rest of the chapters too? Assuming there's not another depressing work crisis, I can probably get another chapter out before Saturday.

If concentrating was difficult before, it was impossible now and Kylo gave up after only a few moments of trying to meditate. Still needing a way to pass the time until the end of Hux's shift, he went to the training room, which was fortunately empty. Most officers were either on duty or sleeping at the time. Not that it really mattered. Even if the room had been occupied, almost everyone knew to vacate the area when Kylo arrived. 

As he practiced with his lightsaber, he really wished he had a partner to train with. Rey would have been the perfect partner. Training with his knights was sometimes an option, although currently, they remained scattered across the galaxy on missions that they'd likely been assigned to keep them out of Snoke's way. Even if he called them back - which he needed to do - none of them were skilled enough to present much of a challenge for him. But the scavenger girl, even if she had accepted his offer, she would likely still be trying to kill him. It would have made for excellent training.

He’d really thought he’d had a bond with Rey, and even though she hated him - and he didn’t particularly like her - those moments they had shared had meant something to him. Hux wasn’t entirely wrong when he asked if she was a friend, as he had almost started thinking of her as such. Then Snoke revealed the truth of their “bond” and how it was nothing but a lie, a tool for Snoke to manipulate the both of them.

That had hurt enough on its own - Snoke hadn’t trusted him to tell him what he was up to and played with his emotions. But then Rey rejected him, and that had been even harder to handle. He’d known she’d gone to Luke for training but was unsatisfied, yet she still wouldn’t even let him try to help her. No, she only wanted to make him go back to the light, and when he made it clear that would never happen, she had turned on him.

And then there was Hux. His refusal had hurt most of all. Kylo didn’t exactly like him either, but they could both offer something the other wanted. But despite years of having some rather obscene fantasies, Hux had still said no. He shouldn’t have felt any surprise - after all, no one else in his life had ever wanted him. They only wanted what he could be.

His parents and uncle wanted a Jedi, Snoke wanted Darth Vader, Rey wanted Ben Solo, and Hux just wanted him dead. But no one wanted Kylo Ren. 

Not realizing how angry his train of thought was making him, he stopped paying attention to where he was swinging his lightsaber and accidentally hit a wall with the red blade. The damage was minor, but it felt good to hit something so solid with his saber, so he swung at it several more times before putting his weapon away and storming out of the room.

He returned to his quarters and got himself cleaned up, although he didn’t know why he bothered. It wasn’t as if Hux had actually meant it when he said he’d come, and if he did, he’d probably have his blaster in hand. Even having orders wouldn't be enough to make Hux want anything to do with him.

Kylo went over to his bed, finally feeling like he might be able to sleep when he noticed Hux's coat on the floor. He picked it up, briefly considering taking it to him, but he quickly decided against it. If Hux wanted his coat back, he could come get it himself. Kylo almost threw it back on the floor, but he knew Hux would hate it. Not that he cared what Hux thought. He just didn't want to listen to him complain.

While trying to decide just where to put it, Kylo decided to throw it on over his shoulders, wearing it like Hux so often did, without using the sleeves. He knew Hux had a much slimmer figure than he did, but wearing the other man's coat made it that more obvious. He felt like it would fall off if he moved, as it wasn't large enough to wrap as far around him as it did on Hux. He wasn't even certain he would be able to get both arms in the sleeves without tearing the seams. As small as Hux was, it made sense he wore the coat all the time. He was probably missing it.

Once again, Kylo considered taking it to him, but he pushed that thought away quickly. One minor action would do nothing to change how Hux thought of him. And knowing Hux, he'd only get annoyed for one reason or another. He was about to take the coat to the front room so it would at least be easy for Hux to find if he came looking for it, but he realized that the coat was very warm. It was never quite warm enough on the _Finalizer_ and although he was perfectly fine in his clothes, he could always feel a chill when he wore nothing but shorts and a thin undershirt like he was at the moment. But with Hux’s coat on, he felt comfortable. Probably another reason Hux always had it.

Instead of moving the coat so it was out of mind, he kept it with him as he climbed into bed. Maybe he would always be alone, but at least he wouldn’t have to be cold. He curled up underneath it and closed his eyes. 

 

He didn’t hear the door open, but he sensed another presence inside his room, and it jolted him awake. He propped himself up on an elbow and looked towards the door and saw Hux standing there, staring at him. Because Hux was standing perfectly still, Kylo assumed he’d been there for at least a few moments. Had he wanted to, Hux probably could have shot him. Surprisingly, he had no blaster in hand.

“What are you doing with my coat?” he asked.

“It gets cold,” he said, fully sitting up and letting the coat fall off of his upper body. As soon as it was gone, Kylo felt the cold air on the exposed skin of his arms. “What do you want?”

“You’re the one who told me to come,” Hux said. “Can we please get this over with?”

“That’s really why you came?” Kylo asked, surprised. He had almost forgotten what he'd said to Hux in their previous conversation, as he had assumed nothing would come of it. But Hux was there.

“I came here with the intention of following orders, whatever those may be. So here I am, Ren. What do you want me to do?”

For several moments, Kylo said nothing. He didn't think he could speak. Hux was there, in his room, prepared to do anything he asked. For a brief moment, Kylo was excited, knowing he could do anything he wanted. But he could feel Hux in the Force. And despite his outward appearance of calm and indifference, the Force showed Kylo a completely different story. He didn’t think the word “panicked” could ever truly be applied to Hux, but it was the only one that seemed to fit his internal state.

“Come here,” Kylo finally said. Hux approached cautiously, like one might a wild animal. He stopped just out of reach, and Kylo patted the bed next to him. He hesitated, but he sat down, keeping himself on the edge of the bed and not taking his eyes of Kylo.

“Breathe,” Kylo said. He would have laughed at the thoughts running through Hux’s head if he didn’t feel so bad for him. Before he could try to put him at ease, one of Hux’s thoughts came screaming at him. “I thought you hated the mask.”

“Ren, I’ve agreed to let you do whatever you want to me, but please, if you can’t stop reading my mind, can you stop responding to things I’m thinking?”

“I could teach you to guard yourself better,” he offered. “I usually don’t sense anything from you, but right now, it’s nonstop.”

“Well, then you already have my answer.”

Hux was right about that. The only thing he wanted was for him to stop talking and hurry up. He was also considering just running away, as he had been since he walked over to the bed. Not wanting Hux to change his mind suddenly and take off, Kylo reached out and took one of Hux's hands in his, lacing their fingers together. Hux didn't even try to pull away. “Were you really going to go through with this?”

“We’ve established this already,” Hux said. 

“Sorry. It’s just..” Kylo decided not to tell Hux how strange his emotions were at the moment. It certainly wouldn’t help him calm down. “You’re stressed.”

Hux made a sound that could have been a laugh, or possibly choking back tears, but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t need too. 

“You don’t need to worry, Hux,” Kylo said, rubbing his thumb across the back of his hand. “I’m not going to do anything to you. Not unless you want to.”

Hux remained right where he was and said nothing, but slowly, all the fear and panic Kylo had sensed disappeared until Kylo couldn't sense anything from him. When he did feel something from Hux again, it came unexpectedly, both in how sudden it came on and how strong it was. Kylo had never felt rage like that from anyone, and certainly not Hux.

“Why would you do this?” Hux shouted, pulling his hand away and rising to his feet. “It’s twisted, even for you!”

“Wait, you’re mad about this?” Kylo would have thought he’d be relieved, maybe even happy that he had changed his mind. Anger was the last thing he expected.

“Yes, I’m mad! I spent the entire day a complete mess because of you! You made me agree to allow you to have your way with me or lose everything I have worked for in my life! Fuck you, Ren.”

“Hux, wait,” Kylo said, standing up as Hux started to walk away. Kylo took a few long strides towards him before he stopped, turning around to face him once again. “I didn’t know. How you felt about all this. I didn't think you'd even show up.”

“Of course you only read my mind when it’s convenient for you!” Hux snapped. 

“I’m not reading your mind!” Kylo shouted at him. He hadn’t planned on raising his voice, but with Hux yelling at him, he just couldn’t help but do the same. “Next time, I just won’t change my mind! Is that better?”

The Force gave him plenty of warning, and had Kylo believed it would happen, he could have stopped Hux. But as angry as Hux might be, he never imagined he would act so impulsively. When Hux’s fist reached the side of his face, he was shocked. Hux, too, seemed very surprised by his actions, and for several moments, the two men just stared at each other.

Then, Hux turned and walked away quickly. Kylo decided it would be wiser to let him go than to attempt any further conversation.


	4. Chapter 4

Confining himself to his own quarters was nothing new for Kylo. He'd done it many times, usually on a suggestion - or orders - from Snoke. Sometimes, it was to help him clear his mind and focus. Other times, it felt like Snoke wanted him isolated as a punishment for his failures. What was different was that he was actually being productive. Or at least, trying to be productive. He had things to do besides meditation and what limited lightsaber training he could do in the small space of his quarters. 

As he paced back and forth, datapad in hand, he tried thinking of an appropriate response to the message currently on his screen. Or a response to any of the messages he had waiting. Although he'd always received messages from various commanders, he'd never had to actually respond to any of them. If something wasn't important enough to tell him in person, it didn't need a response. In fact, Kylo had hardly even read his messages before. But as Supreme Leader, it was something he had to get used to.

He very much wanted to just let Hux deal with everything, just like he had been since Snoke's demise, but he'd put the general through far too much. Kylo's had touched the side of his face, still sore from where Hux had hit him. The man clearly needed a break. And maybe, if Kylo could manage to do his job for at least a little while, it would give Hux one less reason to hate him. Not that he really cared what Hux thought. He certainly wasn't trying to impress him.

Not wanting to think about Hux any longer, Kylo focused his attention on the datapad in his hand. He almost wanted to tell his commanders to simply use their best judgement and stop bothering him with every little decision, but he didn’t trust them. He didn’t even know most of them, as he’d spent most of his time with the Order dealing almost exclusively with Hux. Soon, he’d have to fix that situation. He needed to know who he could trust, and that way, he wouldn’t have to approve every single decision. Snoke surely hadn’t done so.

But the more Kylo thought about it, the more he realized just how little he knew about how Snoke ran the Order. All that had mattered to Kylo then was his training and following in his grandfather’s footsteps. He would be given a mission and the resources to achieve his goals, using whatever means necessary. He still had those resources, but it was strange not having anyone telling him what needed to be done.

To his knowledge, Snoke hadn’t had any advisers. While he sometimes accepted input from Kylo, Hux, and other generals, in the end, he did whatever he wanted. Kylo could certainly do the same. In some ways, he was stronger in the Force than Snoke and he could prove it to any commander who decided to question his orders, but Snoke’s way was not the only way.

Although he was tempted to have his Knights come to the _Finalizer_ and act as his advisers, he suspected the military leadership would not like that. And it wasn’t as if his Knights knew anything about running the First Order either. No, the only thing they would be good for would be to give him some companionship, someone he could talk to with ease. Someone who would actually understand him.

He thought he might have had that in Hux, at least to some extent. Despite all their disagreements, Kylo respected him. When Kylo wasn’t intentionally antagonizing him, he thought they worked together fairly well. But even if that had been the case before, Kylo suspected he might have ruined everything. If nothing else, things would probably be awkward between them for a while. Which was the real reason he had remained in his quarters. He didn't want to run into Hux.

He sighed as he typed out a quick reply to a commander on some ship he'd never even heard of, realizing that he wasn't going to be able to get Hux off his mind. And that was what had caused his problems to begin with. He threw the datapad onto a table and decided he'd just have to find Hux. He had no idea what he'd do or say. Maybe he's just shove him out an airlock and be done with him and not have to worry about him ever again.

Before he became the Supreme Leader, Kylo might have actually considered doing something like that. Now, he realized how much needed him. Despite everything that had happened between them, Kylo still felt like he could trust him. He might want to kill him most of the time, but he also wanted to do what was best for the First Order, and could usually set any personal issues aside. And there was no way Kylo could run the military as efficiently as Hux, although he'd never admit that out loud.

Kylo left his quarters and headed to the bridge, as it was towards the end of his scheduled shift. When he arrived, he looked around but didn't see that familiar flash of orange hair anywhere. That was a bit unusual, but there were plenty of things that Hux might have needed to attend to elsewhere on the ship. Finding out where would be the issue. Glancing around the bridge, he couldn't tell exactly who was in charge, but an officer was approaching him.

“Supreme Leader,” she said. “I’m Colonel Peton. We - “

“Where’s Hux?” Kylo interrupted.

“He's still out on your special assignment,” she answered, frowning slightly. "At least, that's what we were told."

"Right," Kylo said, trying to think quickly. Hux had never reported to the bridge, then. "And you're in command now, Colonel?"

"Temporarily," she said. "Captain Peavey should be returning shortly if you needed something I can't help you with."

Kylo almost declined that offer of help. He didn't need her or Peavey or anyone else. Just Hux. But perhaps the colonel could help. He just had to be careful that she didn't realize that he had no idea where Hux was. "Have any ships departed in the past... twenty seven hours?" 

"I can pull the logs for you, sir," she said, stepping over to a nearby console. She hit a few keys and brought up the information he wanted. Kylo looked over it, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Not that he really knew what would be ordinary. "These are all work crews working on the salvage efforts," Peton informed him.

"They all departed and returned as scheduled?" Kylo asked.

"We can take a look," she said, quickly pulling up a different log. "One crew returned twenty minutes later than scheduled. The others were all within five minutes of their scheduled departure and return times. Everything appears to be in order. The only thing I see is that one of the shuttles was pulled for unscheduled maintenance so the crew had to take a different one. That was approximately sixteen hours ago."

That was in the time frame that Kylo was actually interested in. He leaned over the console, causing the colonel to quickly take a few steps back, which allowed him to pull up the information he wanted without being right on top of her. He saw that the shuttle was hyperspace capable, but more importantly, he saw that Hux was the one who scheduled it for maintenance. The ship was still docked, so if he had planned on running away, he hadn't done so yet.

"Thank you, Colonel," he said, glancing back at her, wondering if he should try altering her memories. She just might be able to piece together what was happening, but Kylo decided it would be too much effort. If she knew what was good for her, she'd keep her mouth shut even if she did figure out that Hux was missing. "Make sure that no ship leaves until I give the okay."

"Of course, Supreme Leader," she said.

As he was leaving, he walked past Captain Peavey, who was just arriving. Kylo could sense smug satisfaction coming from the older man, and he couldn't stop himself from finding out what made him so happy. It didn't come as a surprise that it was Hux's absence. After all, Peavey had never liked the general. He was apparently enjoying his time pretending he was the commander of the _Finalizer_.

“Supreme Leader,” Peavey said, greeting him as he walked by. “Is there something I can help you with?”

His offer of assistance didn't seem sincere. Unlike the colonel, who had actually wanted to assist him, Peavey thought that Kylo couldn't do anything without his help. It almost made Kylo laugh. Peavey, like many of the old Imperial officers, were allowed to stay out of respect for their many years of service. But they weren't actually necessary. The First Order had far more capable officers in its ranks. 

"Colonel Peton has given me everything I need," Kylo said. "But you might want to remember I'm not a lost child, Captain."

Peavey paled, realizing that Kylo had managed to read his mind. He hadn't really been trying, but Peavey was simply terrible at keeping his thoughts to himself. Most people, Kylo only picked up feelings from, but Peavey was one of those people he couldn't help but overhear.

"My apologies, Supreme Leader," he mumbled before walking away as quickly as he could without running. Hopefully, Kylo wouldn't have to interact much with the captain. Or maybe he could just transfer him to another ship. Or force him to retire.

Having more important concerns than an ancient captain, Kylo made his way down to Hux's quarters. Although certain he wouldn't be there, Kylo had plenty of time to at least check. And maybe he would be there and save Kylo the trip to the hangar. When he walked inside, he could immediately tell the rooms were unoccupied. He’d only been inside a handful of times, but everything looked as he remembered it - neat and orderly. The only thing that was out of place was a nearly empty liquor bottle on his desk. 

As he looked around, he saw other things that were just slightly out of place. The sheets on the bed were messed up, the closet door was opened slightly, and his cap was on the floor, almost kicked under the bed. He clearly hadn’t taken his time to tidy before leaving.

Kylo couldn’t be sure exactly what had gone through Hux’s mind after hitting him, but he started to make some guesses. He had likely been scared, thinking Kylo would retaliate. He probably returned to his quarters and if he didn’t start drinking immediately, it likely didn’t take him long to start. 

Hux fell asleep - or passed out - at some point, and then not bothered to make the bed when he woke. And he certainly didn’t care about much when he left his quarters, which explained the cap on the floor. He couldn't be sure when Hux had ordered the shuttle to stay behind or if he'd even been sober when he'd done that, but that was clearly the next place to check. Running away didn't really seem like Hux's style. He always seemed to take care of his problems, not avoid them. And since Kylo was currently Hux's problem, he had to wonder if he might be walking into a trap.

He'd just have to hope the Force didn't let him down if it turned out he was walking into danger.

Kylo had taken note of the shuttle's location and found it in the almost empty hangar. Most of the other shuttles were in use, or down for legitimate maintenance. But there was one shuttle that was clearly not being worked on, sitting on it's own. Earlier in the day, it had likely been surrounded by other shuttles. When he was close enough, Kylo could read the numbers near the ramp and knew it was definitely the shuttle he was looking for, and of course, he could sense Hux.

Still suspecting a trap, Kylo stood back and activated the ramp with the Force. No bomb went off and nothing came flying at him, so he cautiously approached and walked up the ramp, one hand hovering near his saber in case he needed to defend himself. As soon as he made it inside, he relaxed. Hux was there and was in no state to plan any sort of trap. When Hux saw him, he immediately jumped to his feet and backed away, not that he could get far inside the small craft.

Taking out his comm, he informed the bridge that ships could leave the hangar, and then immediately turned it off, not wanting to be interrupted with any questions. If they wanted to question him, they could do it in person. Then, he turned his attention to Hux, and the two just stared at each other.

Kylo couldn’t recall ever seeing Hux in such a state. His hair was messy and falling in his face and his uniform partially undone so Kylo could see his undershirt. He also smelled like alcohol, which wasn’t surprising since he’d seen the nearly empty bottle in his quarters.

“This is as good a place as any if you’re going to kill me,” Hux said.

“Like I’ve said, I really don’t want to hurt you. What are you doing here? Did you have some kind of plan, or were you just hiding?”

“Ren, I’m really not in the mood for this. Just do whatever you’re going to do.”

Kylo felt bad for Hux, as he was so certain something terrible was about to happen. When he took a step closer, Hux reached for his blaster. Although Kylo could stop the blaster bolt, it would be much harder at close range, so he simply held Hux’s arm in place, preventing him from drawing his weapon as he approached.

When he was in front of him, Kylo reached down, grabbing a hold of the blaster. As he was pulling it out, Hux’s other hand, which wasn’t pinned down with the Force, swung at him. Not wanting to get punched again, Kylo moved out the way, shoving Hux backwards as he did.

With space between them once again, Kylo saw that Hux has a knife in his hand. It was too small to have severely injured him, but it could have distracted him enough to allow Hux to get his blaster. 

“Do you really want to fight me?” Kylo asked, his hand brushing his lightsaber. “You know you can’t possibly win.”

“I don’t have anything to lose.”

“Hux, put the knife down and listen. I’m not here to kill you. I’m not throwing you in the brig and I wasn’t even planning on demoting you. And, Hux, seriously, why are you still holding the knife?”

“Because I don’t trust you,” he said. “You can say whatever you like, but how can I possibly believe a word you say? You tell me that you don’t want to hurt me, but every chance you get, you choke me or throw me into a wall. You tell me that I have to degrade myself or lose everything, and then tell me you never meant it. So why should I believe you now?”

Kylo had to admit that Hux had a point. He had a terrible track record when it came to being honest with Hux. Clearly, he had to do better, but it was going to be difficult to have that chance if Hux was planning on stabbing him and not listening. Kylo thought about just taking the knife and the blaster, but he’d likely hurt Hux in the process and make things even worse between them. He’d have to try a different approach.

“Hux, you’re smarter than this. If you attack me, you know you can’t win. You’ve seen what I can do. But there is a chance I’m telling you the truth. Think, Hux. If I really wanted to hurt you, don’t you think I’d have done it by now?”

For several moments, Hux remained where he was, knife at the ready, but finally, he relaxed and put the knife in his sleeve. Kylo had wondered where it had come from. 

“So what now? We go back to normal and pretend none of this ever happened?”

“Yes. But first, you need to rest. I suspect you haven’t had any real sleep in some time. And maybe give those bruises time to heal.” With the top of his uniform undone, Kylo could see the bruises he’d left all around his neck along with others on his chest. He didn’t know if he was to blame for those, but he probably was.

“Mine can be hidden,” Hux said. “How do you plan on hiding yours without your mask?”

“Hiding what?”

“The black eye.”

Having not looked in a mirror, Kylo didn’t realize he had any visible damage from Hux punching him. He raised his hand up to the side of his face and could feel that it was tender. “It’s too late for that,” Kylo said. “Let’s get you back to your quarters.”

Kylo walked out of the shuttle and as he reached the bottom of the ramp, he heard Hux’s footsteps behind him. He stopped, waited for Hux to catch up and then they continued to walk. As they passed others, Kylo used to Force to ensure no one took notice of Hux. It wouldn’t do for him to be seen in such a state.

“What were you doing down there?” Kylo asked once they were close to Hux’s quarters and far less likely to run into anyone else. “You must have had some kind of plan.”

“Not really,” Hux admitted. “I didn’t think I’d make it out the door and then I kept expecting you to show up and cut me in half. I really didn’t know what I was going to do.”

“You really thought I’d kill you?”

“You’ve choked me and thrown me into walls just for being inconvenient. What should I expect? If nothing else, you’re very moody and unpredictable.”

“That’s fair, I suppose,” Kylo muttered. They reached Hux’s quarters and Kylo opened the door, letting Hux in first and then following him inside, closing the door behind him. Hux turned around and looked at him, and for several moments, the two men were silent, watching each other.

“Well, you’ve walked me back to my quarters,” Hux finally said. “Is there something else you need?”

“Hux.” Kylo didn’t know what to say. He could sense that he wasn’t well, but he didn’t know exactly what was wrong with him. “When was the last time you ate? Or slept?”

“I fell asleep while waiting for you to come kill me,” Hux said.

“Passing out drunk doesn’t count. You need to take care of yourself.”

“I’m fine. And there’s too much for me to do. I’ve -”

“The only thing you need to do is rest. I’ll take care of everything else.”

“You? I doubt you could take care of yourself. The last thing you should be doing is taking control on the bridge. I can rest after I get my work done.”

“No,” Kylo insisted. “You’re taking a day off. I’m ordering you to do so.”

“Fine,” Hux said. “I won’t leave my quarters. Are you happy?”

“Not quite,” Kylo said, walking over to Hux’s desk. He took his lightsaber off his belt, ignited it, and ignoring Hux’s protests, ran the blade through his datapad. That probably wouldn’t stop him from trying to work, but maybe it would discourage him.

“Ren! Did you have to destroy it? Couldn’t you just have taken it if you’re so determined to keep me from work?”

“I didn’t think of that,” Kylo said. He tried to not smile, but he couldn’t help it. He liked making Hux angry. “I’ll make sure it’s replaced. But you should rest.”

Wanting to make sure he actually did so, Kylo walked over to him and started to remove his uniform. At first, Hux stood still, letting him do what he wanted, but he finally seemed to process the fact that Kylo was taking his clothes off and stepped back, pushing Kylo’s hands away.

“I don’t need assistance,” Hux said. 

“Are you sure?” Kylo said, taking another step towards him, but not reaching out for him again. “You’re not taking anything off.”

Hux sighed and walked over to his bed, sitting down and removing his boots. He glanced up at Kylo once they were off, but it wasn’t enough for Kylo. He stood there, waiting, until finally Hux stripped down to his underclothes.

“That’s better,” Kylo said. Sure that Hux wouldn’t actually sleep once he left, Kylo stepped over to him, and before Hux could say anything, Kylo raised his hand and made him fall asleep. Hux fell backwards onto the bed, and Kylo picked his legs up and fully pushed him on the bed, and covered him up.

Kylo had never seen Hux sleep before, and although he certainly looked more relaxed than he’d ever seen, he still looked a bit angry. Probably because he’d used the Force to make him sleep, Kylo reasoned. He watched him sleep for a short while before reluctantly leaving. As tempted as he was to stay with him, he did have other things to do. After all, he’d promised Hux he’d take care of everything that he thought he had to do.

The first thing he’d have to do is come up with a decent reason for Hux’s absence. He didn't know what Hux had told anyone else about his special assignment, and it was tempting for Kylo to just erase people's memories and make them think Hux had been present for his shift. But there were simply too man people and he didn't know how many people were told of the assignment. He'd just have to make something up. Or maybe he'd get lucky and no one would ask.

As he headed back to the bridge, he realized he had made more work for himself and hadn't even managed to say what he wanted to say to Hux. Perhaps he'd have time when he finished doing Hux's job. And his own job. It was definitely going to be a long day.


	5. Chapter 5

Trying to take Hux’s place on the bridge had been something of a mistake. While nothing catastrophic happened, the crew felt nervous with his presence. And despite officially being a commander, he’d never actually had that much responsibility, only authority. All together, it made things awkward and Kylo had to resist the urge to simply leave, especially since he didn't feel like he was doing anything in the first place. But he'd told Hux he'd cover his shift, and he was determined to do that. But as soon as the shift was over, he left, heading back to Hux’s quarters.

The only thing he felt like he had accomplished was coming up with what was probably a terrible excuse for Hux's absence. Fortunately, no one questioned him. At least not out loud. Captain Peavey thought something was suspicious, but said nothing. As long as it stayed that way, Kylo would leave the captain alone.

When he opened the door to Hux’s quarters, he saw that the general was awake and sitting on his sofa, a disassembled blaster in front of him. He hadn’t gotten dressed and now that he wasn’t trying to make him sleep, Kylo couldn't help but think about how much skin he had exposed or what it might feel like to run his hands through his hair, which didn't have any gel in in it for once. Everything about Hux looked so soft in that moment.

“Did you bring a replacement datapad?” Hux asked, barely glancing at him as he started putting the blaster back together.

“You’re not allowed to work yet.”

“Does that mean I don’t have to deal with you either?” 

“I told everyone that you almost died,” Kylo said, ignoring him. “That's why you weren't on the bridge. I didn't know if you made up any details about your mission yesterday, so I didn't say anything about that.”

"And everyone believed you?"

"I am the Supreme Leader," Kylo said with a shrug, watching Hux's hands as he finished putting the weapon back together. "They weren't going to question me. Peavey didn't believe me, though. He might ask you about it."

“That’s not surprising,” Hux said. “I’ve always suspected he didn’t like me.”

“He doesn’t. He thinks you're an incompetent fool."

For the first time since he walked in, Hux looked directly at him. “Do you read everyone’s mind, or are some of us just special?”

“I’ve told you, I don’t really do that. I can feel certain things from people, and some people are better at hiding their thoughts and feelings than others. You’re usually very hard to read, but some people, I can’t be in the same room without knowing everything they’re feeling or thinking."

“But you can read someone’s mind. I've seen your interrogations. But can you do it without them knowing?”

“Sure,” Kylo said with a shrug. “But it depends what I’m looking for and how strong their mind is. I would guess I couldn’t get much from you without you knowing. You want me to try?”

“Stay out of my head,” Hux said. “If I wanted you to use your powers on someone else, is there any way I could convince you to do so?”

“You want me to read the minds of your enemies?” Kylo smiled just a bit as he realized just what Hux had in mind. He’d never thought Hux would be asking him to use the Force, at least not so directly and not against his own officers.

“Yes,” Hux said. He stood up and walked towards him, stopping just within arm’s reach. Slowly, he reached his hand out and lightly touched Kylo on his wrist. “There are thing I could do for you in return.”

Kylo looked down at Hux’s hand and then his face, wondering just how serious he was. He didn't need the Force to tell him that Hux was completely serious. He would do anything that would give him an advantage. 

“Hux, I…” Kylo wanted to agree and not think twice about it, but he found himself hesitating. “Are you sure? You don’t have to do this.”

“Don’t think too hard, Ren,” Hux said, closing the distance between them and reaching up to grab his head with both hands. Kylo didn’t move as Hux pulled him close and kissed him, barely even registering what was happening. Then he felt Hux’s teeth on his lip and he fully realized that Hux was actually kissing him.

He felt his knees getting weak and wrapped his arms around Hux in order to keep his balance. Hux hooked his arms behind Kylo’s neck and started walking, pulling Kylo along with him as he made his way towards the bed. Kylo offered no resistance, still shocked that Hux was touching him and kissing him and pushing him onto the bed. As he was pushed backwards, Hux pulled away from him, causing Kylo to let out a small whine while reaching out to Hux.

He didn't have to go long without contact, as Hux straddled him and undid his belt. One hand went under his tunic while the other lightly touched the side of his face. Kylo couldn't help but lean into the touch. He loved the way Hux’s hands felt and he just wanted to let him to whatever he had planned, but Hux’s mind wasn’t guarded at the moment, and Kylo couldn’t just let him keep going.

“Wait, Hux, stop,” Kylo said, gently pushing his hands away.

“What?” he asked, frowning.

“Do you really want to do this?”

"Would I be here if I didn't?"

Kylo was about to agree with him, but he hadn't forgotten the reason he'd ordered Hux to take a break. "It was only a few days ago when you said you'd never even consider sleeping with me. You really didn't want to the other day in my quarters."

“Yes, well, now it's on my terms,” Hux said, reaching for the front of his tunic. "And since when do you even care about anyone else?"

“I -” Kylo forgot what he was going to say as Hux's hand brushed across his chest. “Um, Hux, don't you think we should talk about this?”

"What's there to talk about?" Hux asked, pushing his tunic to the side and reaching for the waistband of his pants. "If you don't want to have sex, just say so."

"It's not that," Kylo said. "But the Force. You feel... I don't know. Scared, almost."

"It takes more than this to scare me." 

"Hux," Kylo said as he tried to get away from him. With his pants undone, he only managed to start pulling them down when he tried to squirm away, which Hux seemed to take as an invitation to pull them off further. "Wait! Hux, I'm... I've never done this before. I..."

That confession seemed to get his full attention. Hux stopped what he was doing, his hands coming to rest on the side of Kylo's legs. “Really?” Hux asked, a slight smirk on his face. “Ren, are _you_ scared?"

"No."

"Do you want me to stop?"

“No. But I sense something from you. Like you don’t want to do this.”

Hux took his hand and placed it over the front of his shorts. Even with his gloves on, Kylo could feel his arousal. “Maybe your powers can’t tell you everything,” he said. “I’m prepared to keep going. But if you want me to stop, I will.”

Hux had taken his hand away from Kylo’s, but Kylo didn’t move his hand from where Hux had put it. He still had some reservations because of what he sensed from Hux, but maybe he was right - maybe he needed to ignore the Force and pay attention to the physical evidence in his hand.

Kylo pushed his tunic from his shoulders and removed his gloves, while Hux took off his undershirt. At first, Kylo thought feeling what Hux felt through the Force would be distracting, but as soon as Hux had his pants off and his hands - and mouth - on him, the Force was the last thing on his mind. He had never imagined anything could feel so good. Especially where Hux was involved.

Having glimpsed some of Hux's fantasies, Kylo had imagined there would be pain involved. Instead, he was surprisingly gentle and even encouraging. Kylo never wanted to let go of Hux or stop kissing him. It felt like Hux was the one thing in his life that had always been missing, and now that he had him, he couldn’t let him go. 

Once they had finished, Kylo rolled off of Hux, but he kept his arms around him. He buried his face in his neck and gently kissed him, wishing he could make the bruises disappear. Maybe he could with the Force, but he’d never tried before. And he didn’t want to do so at the moment. He just wanted to taste Hux and hold him.

“How many of my people will you check?” Hux asked after a while.

“What?” Kylo was a bit surprised by that question and it took him a moment to realize what he meant. Then he remembered that Hux only had sex with him for one reason. “Oh. I don’t know. Depends on how difficult they are.”

“I suppose I should have negotiated that before,” Hux said. “Next time, then.”

Kylo let go of Hux and sat up, looking down at him and studying him for several moments. As usual, Kylo didn’t feel anything from him in the Force, not even when he tried. He didn’t know why he was so surprised - it was just business to Hux. It hadn’t meant anything at all to him. Kylo was almost embarrassed that he thought it had been more.

He grabbed his clothes and started dressing, not saying a word to Hux. By the time he was in the hallway, he felt hot tears on the side of his face. For a while, he had forgotten just how much Hux hated him, and now it all came crashing back down on him. Hux would never care for him, only what he could do for him.


	6. Chapter 6

As much as Kylo hated the amount of work that came with being Supreme Leader, keeping busy did mean he had plenty of things to do besides think about Hux. He would have preferred to avoid him completely, although that wasn't possible. Still, he at least managed to keep all their interactions short and to the point, and there was absolutely no reason Kylo had to spend much time around him. 

It wasn’t until the time for Kylo’s first diplomatic mission came that they had to spend any length of time together. As they were the only two attending the meeting, there was very little choice but for them to take the same shuttle. Kylo could have insisted that Hux arrive separately, but then, Hux would know he was trying to keep his distance. Instead, Kylo spent the entire trip to the space station in the cockpit. He had selected Lieutenant Tavson as his pilot since his mind was either well guarded or blank enough that Kylo never picked up anything from the man. It made it easy to be around him.

Kylo wasn’t sure about his new outfit, and although tempted to ask Hux if it actually looked all right, he wasn’t in the mood to talk to him. He almost asked Tavson, but the pilot wouldn’t give him an honest answer. Instead of his usual black, the tailor had included quite a bit of red and a bit of gold into his clothing. Kylo would have done without the gold, but perhaps it would be impressive to the people he was meeting. Not that Kylo would know about such things.

If not for all the color, or the cape, Kylo would have thought he was wearing an officer’s uniform. It made sense that Hux would pick something out reminiscent of a military uniform. Of course, it was fancier and more ornate than anything any member of the First Order military would wear. And the black cape with red lining was much more impressive than an officer’s greatcoat.

The actual meeting was not very interesting. Hux did a lot of the talking, lying through his teeth about how competent he thought Kylo was and how the Order was in good hands. Kylo did have to answer some questions about how Snoke died, and like Hux, he was great at lying. All four of the planetary leaders claimed they would continue to support the First Order, although Kylo knew one would have gone against him had the others done so, and one other was very reluctant. At least he knew who to keep an eye on.

“Supreme Leader,” Hux said once they were back on the shuttle. “Could I have a word with you?”

Kylo wanted to say no, but since he couldn’t think of an excuse, he nodded and joined him in the passenger compartment. He didn’t say anything, only looked at Hux, waiting for the other man to speak.

“Your outfit is very impressive,” Hux said, looking him up and down. “You’d look good in a uniform.”

“I doubt you only wanted to compliment my clothes,” Kylo said.

“Have you been avoiding me?” Hux asked.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I talk to you every single day. I couldn’t avoid you if I wanted to.”

“Do you want to?” Kylo didn’t answer, which was apparently enough of a response for Hux. “Is there a reason for that?”

The last thing Kylo was about to do was admit to him how he had felt when they had sex. How it had been much more than just sex to him. At best, Hux would laugh at him. And at worst, well, Kylo didn’t want to think about that. 

“Right. Of course you’re not going to say anything. I’ll just have to assume I was very disappointing in bed, because that’s right when this all started. I’m sorry it wasn’t what you wanted. I need another favor from you, but if you don’t want to sleep with me again, is there something else I can do for you instead?”

“I’m not trying to avoid you,” Kylo lied. “I’m just busy.”

“So the same deal works again?” Hux asked. Kylo gave a slight nod in response. “This should be simple enough. I just need you to transfer four people off the _Finalizer_. It won’t look good if the orders come from me, but if you do it, it shouldn’t raise suspicion. And who would question you?”

"That's it?" Kylo asked, directly looking at him for the first time since their conversation started. "That's... is it really worth your trouble?"

"I can't imagine it's that difficult for you to read someone's mind. I think this will be far more challenging for you. Are the terms acceptable?"

“That's fine,” Kylo agreed, still wondering why Hux was asking for so little. He reached out to Hux's mind, but as usual, found nothing there. 

“I’ll have to report to the bridge shortly after we get back, so if you want, we can meet after?”

“Fine,” he said again.

“Ren…” If Hux planned on saying anything else, he didn’t have time. The shuttle had made it back to the _Finalizer_. Hux stepped over to Kylo and put a hand on his arm. He paused there for a moment and Kylo unintentionally picked up a brief feeling from Hux. He wanted something more than to simply touch him, but before he could think about it, Hux left, walking down the ramp that had descended from the shuttle.

Kylo didn’t leave immediately - he stared after Hux wondering what exactly that had been about. He could still feel Hux's hand on his arm, and he couldn't help but wonder if he should have returned the gesture or at least done something besides just standing there. Maybe he should have kissed him. That's what Hux had been thinking about. It had been very brief, but Kylo now realized that quick glimpse into Hux's mind had been a thought about kissing. Kissing him. Hux had wanted to kiss him. But he didn't.

Having no idea what any of it could possibly mean - or why Hux wanted to kiss him - he finally left the shuttle and made his way back to his quarters. By the time he arrived, he could only come to the conclusion that Hux was trying to mess with his head. To what end, he had no idea, but he couldn't think of any other reason Hux would have touched him so softly. He sat down on his bed and managed to push all thought of Hux aside, clearing his mind enough to contact his Knights.

He checked in with them, asking all of them for their locations. Most hadn't gone anywhere since he'd last spoken to them shortly after Snoke's death. Only two were close enough to where he needed them, so he told the others he'd speak to them later and broke their connection, while maintaining it with the two he was sending on a mission.

_"I need you to go to the planet Kestri,"_ he informed them. _"Keep a low profile. No one can know who you are or why you're there."_

_"Yes, Master,"_ came Teris Ren's immediate response.

_"Why are we going to be there?"_ Lys Ren asked at the same time.

_"I just met with one of the planet's leaders,"_ Kylo said. _"They might be looking to leave the First Order. No need to try to stop them. Just be ready for when something does happen."_

Both Knights acknowledged their orders and Kylo ended the connection with Teris. He tried with Lys, but he could feel her holding on. While he could certainly force their connection closed since he was far stronger than any of his Knights, he knew there had to be some reason for Lys to be keeping it open.

_"Master, are you all right?"_ she asked.

_"Yes."_ She remained silent, but their connection remained in place. Instead of speaking, she sent feelings across their bond. He felt warmth and safety and love from her, and with his eyes closed, he could almost feel her arms around him. _"Thank you."_

_"We all feel it,"_ she said finally. _"Your turmoil. Whatever it is that's hurting you. You know we can help, Kylo. You just have to let us."_

_"I know. But this... it's not something you can help with. It's Hux."_

_"I will gladly take care of him for you,"_ Lys said quickly, and Kylo couldn't help but smile. Lys had hardly even met Hux, but she hated him based on what Kylo had told his Knights over the years.

_"It's not like that,"_ he replied. Not wanting to explain, he sent her the memory of when Hux had kissed him and let her feel some of his feelings towards him. In return, he could feel her amusement, and he was sure that wherever she was, she was laughing. 

_"I'm so sorry, Kylo. But please, tell us if there's anything we can do. Even if you just want us to be with you. You don't have to be alone anymore."_

_"I'll be fine,"_ he assured her. _"I'm just not used to this sort of thing."_

He felt another burst of warmth from his Knight and then they closed the connection. Of course, even without actively maintaining a connection, he and his Knights could all sense each other in the Force. Which was how Lys - and the others - had known something was wrong with him. He hadn't realized how open he had been after being with Hux. It was a bit concerning, but there was nothing he could do about that. He had far more important matters at hand anyway.

Like finally tracking down the Resistance.

As he thought about the other bond he had in the Force - the one he had never wanted - he wondered if she would have felt anything from him. He certainly hoped not. It was bad enough the scavenger could intrude into his life at any moment. He didn't need her knowing when he got upset over personal matters. 

With his Knights, Kylo could find their location anywhere in the galaxy just by their bond. It took time and it wasn't a very useful skill, but it could be done. If the bond with Rey was even somewhat similar, he thought he might be able to do the same with her. Although he knew the bond hadn't been entirely broken when Snoke died, he couldn't find it as easily as he could with his Knights. But finally, he did locate it and he started following it. The task was more difficult than he had expected, as he kept losing the trail, but he always managed to find it again. But if his plan worked, the trouble would certainly be worth it.

After losing the path and locating it again for at least the tenth time, Kylo had the feeling he wasn't alone. Opening his eyes, he looked around his quarters but he saw no one. The feeling faded, and Kylo returned his attention to his task, once again trying to locate Rey. Almost as soon as he tried, he had the same feeling of not being alone. Before, it always meant his connection with Rey was active, but once again, she was no where to be found. 

"Rey?" he called out, wondering if perhaps the nature of the bond had changed. He could never see his Knights from across the galaxy, only speak to them. But if the girl could hear him, she remained silent. As the feeling started to fade, Kylo reached for their bond and tried his best to open it. Or keep it open. He really wasn't sure what was going on with it, but if Rey was there, he wanted to know.

Although she still didn't appear, it felt like she was there. And this time, the feeling didn't fade. He called her name again, but just like before, he didn't get a response. Whatever was happening with them and the bond, Kylo didn't like it. Something about it made him uneasy. And when he remembered how easily she had turned his own tricks against him before, he realized just how bad of an idea it had been to try using that bond. It was too dangerous. He immediately tried to close it, but he couldn't quite figure out how.

Kylo did his best to keep calm - panicking wouldn't help the situation. But he could feel he was being watched. More than that, he knew his own mind was vulnerable. And that made him think of Snoke. Without thinking he pushed against the bond, doing the exact opposite of what he'd been doing before when he had tried to find the Resistance. That seemed to work, as he finally was alone. But not quite.

“What are you doing?” A voice behind him caused him to jump up and instinctively, he pushed with the Force, knocking the intruder back into a wall.

“Hux, I’m sorry,” he said, hurrying over to him and crouching down by his side. “Are you hurt?”

“Of course I’m hurt!” he snapped. “You threw me into a wall! Again! Who were you talking to?”

"I wasn't talking to anyone," Kylo said, grabbing Hux's arm and pulling him to his feet.

"Well, I walked in here and you were going on about something," Hux said, pulling his arm free and stepping back, putting himself right up against the wall he had been thrown into. "What was that about?"

"Just a Force thing. You wouldn't understand." With Hux standing in front of him, Kylo reminded himself that he needed to fix his security so Hux couldn't just walk in. He didn't think he'd be trying anything like manipulating the bond again, but it wouldn't do to have Hux walk in on him if he did. And he still didn't quite trust Hux not to kill him if he had a chance. "What was I saying?"

"It was a Force thing. I didn't understand." They stared at each other in silence, Kylo waiting for Hux to say something useful, and Hux stubbornly remaining silent.

“Why are you here?” Kylo asked, deciding to change the subject. Hux had certainly come for a reason.

“We’d planned on meeting,” Hux said. “I know it probably wasn’t that important to you, but I thought you might have at least sent a message or something if you had other things to do.”

Hux headed for the door, and Kylo remembered agreeing to meet Hux after his shift. He hadn’t realized it had been so long. He’d only thought an hour or so had passed. As Hux reached to open the door, Kylo held him with the Force, preventing him from moving.

“What are you doing, Ren?”

“Don’t leave,” he said, releasing his hold on him as he approached him. “I’m sorry. I got distracted.”

He grabbed Hux by the wrist and pulled him towards him, glad to see he didn’t resist. As much as it had hurt for him to be with Hux the last time, he couldn’t say no with Hux right in front of him. Not when Hux had come to his quarters to be with him.

Kylo removed Hux’s belt and started in on his uniform, but he didn’t get far before Hux grabbed his hands and pushed them away. Thinking he did something wrong, Kylo investigated Hux’s thoughts and found some irritation. Instead of digging deeper, Kylo opened his mouth to ask Hux what he'd done wrong, but Hux spoke up first.

“I don’t need you destroying anything,” Hux said, carefully removing his clothing and folding it. "What was so important that you forgot about our appointment?"

"Finding the Resistance," Kylo said as he started to take his own clothes off. 

"What did I say about destroying things?" Hux asked as he grabbed Kylo's hands and pulled them away from his clothes. "Were you successful?"

“Hux,” he growled, not wanting to wait. 

“Be patient, Ren. And you didn't answer the question.”

"No. And I'd really rather not talk about that right now."

Once Hux had his own uniform off, he turned his attention to Kylo and began undoing his buttons. At least now, he was close enough that Kylo could touch him. He put his hands on his hips, running them under his thin shirt. If Hux wanted to play games, Kylo could do the same. He grabbed the bottom hem of the shirt and tore it apart with a loud rip, making Hux stop.

“Ren! I told you not to destroy anything!”

“Sorry,” he said, smiling. “Couldn’t help it.” He pulled the remains of the shirt from his body, discarding them on the floor.

Hux sighed but continued to remove Kylo’s clothes, somehow going even slower than before. Kylo touched Hux’s neck, his large hand gently brushing the almost healed bruises there. As he did that he could feel fear from Hux, so he moved his hand away from his neck, wanting him to be more comfortable.

When Hux had his shirt off, he began folding it, just as he had with his own clothes. But Kylo was completely out of patience, and used the Force to pull it from his hands and then threw it across the room. Before Hux could protest, he wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close, kissing him.

“Kylo,” Hux moaned softly into his mouth. In response, Kylo held him tighter, pressing himself against him. When he did, Hux whimpered, causing Kylo to immediately loosen his grip.

“Hux? Did I hurt you? I did.” Kylo looked over his body, and although he could see bruises, they were much like the ones on his neck and nearly healed. But that didn’t mean there weren’t other injuries he couldn’t see. Or that he hadn’t injured him only moments ago.

“It’s fine,” Hux said. 

“I don’t want to make it worse,” Kylo said. “Where are you hurt?”

“Everywhere, but as long as you don’t throw me around again, I’ll be fine.”

“Hux,” Kylo said softly, reaching out and taking his hand. 

“I said it’s fine,” Hux said, putting Kylo’s hand on his chest. 

“Armitage.” Hux released his hand and it fell away. That had at least gotten his attention. “We can do this another time.”

“Why wait?” Hux said, reaching his hand down Kylo’s pants. “I’m here and most of my clothes are off already. And you certainly feel ready.”

Kylo knew he could have told Hux to stop. He could agree to do whatever it was Hux wanted, and he'd no longer have any reason to be there. Of course, Kylo suspected that he wouldn't have another chance if he did that. He considered just refusing to continue, but Hux still had his hand on him and he knew he wasn't going to be doing that. 

He didn’t even know why he cared so much about hurting him. Hux wouldn’t think twice about doing the same to him. Kylo removed his pants and once again pulled Hux close to him, but he made sure he didn’t grip him too hard. Hux had no such concerns, his hands tight on his hips. He pushed him over to the bed and Kylo sat down, gently bringing Hux down with him.

While Kylo was trying his hardest to remain as gentle as possible, Hux seemed to be doing the opposite, gripping him, scratching him, biting him. With all that, it took some control for Kylo not to return the favor, but he was determined not to hurt Hux again. 

He took him slow, using the Force more than he had the first time. He really only wanted to ensure that he didn’t hurt him, but he found much more in his mind. Kylo suddenly knew exactly where Hux wanted to be touched and more importantly, he realized that at least on some level, Hux was truly enjoying himself. He wasn’t doing it just to get something he wanted. Kylo smiled at that, although he knew Hux would never admit it. He didn't even know if Hux was aware of how much he really liked it. But it did explain why he hadn't asked for much in return.

When they finished, Kylo resisted the urge to lay next to Hux and hold him. Instead, he got up immediately, allowing Hux to collapse on his bed. He paused, looking down at Hux and gently put a hand on his arm, just as Hux had done to him in the shuttle. He also gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, remembering what Hux hadn't done.

“Let me know who you want me to get rid of,” Kylo said before heading to the refresher. No point in letting Hux be the one to remind him why he was there. 

He cleaned himself up, which didn’t take long, but he didn’t leave. He could still sense Hux in the other room and he didn’t want to face him. At least he wasn’t crying this time. But he felt like he might, and if he had to see Hux at the moment, he really thought he would.

When he finally felt Hux leave his quarters, Kylo finally left the refresher. He wasn’t surprised to find that Hux had already left a message telling him what he expected in return. It was such a cold, professional message, and reading it made Kylo feel terrible. He brushed the tears away with the back of his hand, wondering if he'd even read him right in the Force. He must have been fooling himself, sensing what he wanted to sense. Hux didn't care and Kylo knew he should try to do the same.

But he wouldn't. He couldn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who's been reading! And thank you for all the wonderful comments! I'm shit at replying to them individually, but I want you all to know how much I appreciate it. Also, just so you know, the next update will most likely be two weeks or so. I've got to finish a Kylo costume for a convention this weekend and it's a busy week at work, so I suspect I won't have time to edit the next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

Captain Peavey was not pleased with the personnel changes Kylo had made. When they met up with the rest of the fleet, Kylo sent his orders through to have the officers Hux wanted to get rid of transferred from the _Finalizer_. Hux had definitely been right to not order the transfers himself. The downside was that now Kylo had to deal with Peavey and even a few other higher-ranking officers who didn’t like the orders.

Kylo had finally managed to shut Peavey up by suggesting he could also transfer - or retire - if he didn’t like how he ran the _Finalizer_. He’d have to remember to ask Hux why Peavey wasn’t on his list of personnel changes, but perhaps that would be another favor.

Of course, now that Hux wasn’t half-naked in front of him, Kylo wondered if he should stop whatever was going on between them. He loved their moments together, but he felt so terrible afterwards, that it almost didn’t seem worth it. Even though he knew continuing that relationship probably wouldn’t end well, he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist.

After the slight argument with Peavey, Kylo had dismissed him from the bridge, and Kylo had taken over his position. As much as he didn’t like standing around feeling useless, it wasn’t for long.

When Hux arrived on the bridge - twenty minutes early - Kylo felt his surprise upon seeing him. Hux looked around, but then approached Kylo.

“Supreme Leader,” he greeted him. “Has something happened to Captain Peavey?”

“He annoyed me,” Kylo said.

“And? Please tell me you didn’t kill him.”

“No. I didn’t even hurt him.”

“Well, that’s a shame. So where is he?”

“I dismissed him.”

“I see. I’m here now if you’d like to leave.” 

“I’ll stay for a while,” Kylo said. “If I’m going to spend more time on the bridge, it might be best for me to observe how you do things.”

Hux stared at Kylo like he had just suggested something ridiculous. Which was strange, because Kylo thought it was a perfectly rational idea. 

“I suppose you can do whatever you want,” Hux said with a shrug. “I don’t suppose you’ve made an end of shift report.”

“Nothing happened,” Kylo said. 

“Yes, but we usually want that documented in some way. Fortunately, almost anyone can do it.” Hx turned his attention away from Kylo and approached another officer, a major judging by his insignia. Hux asked him to make the report.

The rest of the crew came in, slowly at first, and then in large groups. By the time the shift was scheduled to start, it appeared as if everyone had already arrived. Kylo would have to remember that. When he’d taken Hux’s place before, he’d shown up right on time.

Once everyone had settled, things grew boring very quickly. Kylo knew they weren’t about to get attacked by the Resistance, or anyone else. Surely, everyone else knew it as well. Instead, it was turning out to be another shift where the most exciting thing that could happen was a communication from another ship. But of course, that didn’t mean Kylo couldn’t make his own fun.

While Hux was having a discussion with another officer, Kylo reached out with the Force and lightly brushed against his back. There was no reaction from Hux, which was about what Kylo expected. He waited some time, then did the same thing again, still with no reaction. 

Again, Kylo waited some time before making his next move. He went lower this time, and instead of a light touch, he put a significant amount of pressure on Hux’s ass. Finally, Hux reacted, flinching, and then turning to look at him with a scowl. But he then returned to his conversation.

Kylo gave him a moment of peace before resuming his attack. He kept things gentle, but now, he wasn’t letting up, touching him all over, although he made sure not to go near his neck. He didn’t want to make him think he was about to be attacked. Finally, Hux finished his conversation and he marched over to Kylo.

“Supreme Leader,” he growled out. “May I have a word with you in private?”

“Certainly.” 

As they walked, Kylo could sense Hux’s anger. Despite that, he still couldn’t resist touching him with the Force once more as they walked, feeling Hux’s anger spike. Once they made it to the conference room where Kylo had first propositioned Hux, he turned on him.

“What do you think you’re doing, Ren? You can’t -”

Kylo grabbed him and cut him off with a kiss. He felt Hux grow even angrier, and he shoved Kylo away. Kylo couldn’t help but smile. 

“If you feel the need to mess with me in private, that’s fine, but can you please refrain from doing so while I’m working? Is that why you were on the bridge? I should have known you had no interest in actually making yourself useful!”

“I learned quite a bit, actually,” Kylo replied, still smiling. “This was more of an impulse thing. I was bored. You looked bored. And look. Now we’re alone.”

“And I’m still on duty.”

“I’ll make it quick,” Kylo promised, grabbing Hux by the hips. “You could use some stress relief.”

“I don’t have time,” Hux insisted, trying to push Kylo away, but Kylo refused to budge.

“Supreme Leader’s orders,” Kylo said as he knelt in front of him.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “Guess I don’t have a choice, then.”

Kylo froze with his hand on the button of his pants. He thought Hux would be excited about what he was offering to do - he’d seen a similar scenario in his thoughts often enough. But it wouldn’t be the first time he was wrong about what Hux really wanted. “Do you want me to stop?”

“What happened to orders?”

“I’m not...” Kylo shook his head, unable to figure out what he really wanted to say. “Just tell me what you want, Hux. Please.”

Hux didn’t say a word, only stared down at Kylo. Realizing it was the only answer he would receive, Kylo started to stand up, but Hux put his hands on his shoulders and pushed him back down.

“Is this what you want?” Kylo asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper. He undid the buttons on Hux’s pants and pushed them down just enough. Although he had plenty of evidence of Hux’s desire in front of his face, he didn’t touch him, waiting for Hux to tell him to continue.

“Yes,” Hux said. 

That was all the encouragement Kylo needed and he took him in his mouth. Hux grabbed his head and pushed himself further into his throat, not letting up even as Kylo started to gag around him. He held him there, and Kylo didn’t resist, letting Hux do what he wanted. 

“If we’re going to continue this,” Hux said, “whatever this is, we’re going to have to lay down some rules.”

Kylo pushed himself away from Hux, just enough so he could speak. “You can’t seriously want to talk about that now.” As soon as he finished speaking, he had his mouth back on Hux, hoping it would distract him.

“I seem to have your full attention at the moment,” Hux replied. 

That much was true, but Kylo’s attention wasn’t focused on listening to him. Instead, he wanted to make good on his promise to make it quick. Fortunately, he knew exactly where to touch him in order to make that happen.

Hux was starting to speak, but Kylo wasn’t listening. Instead, he reached behind him with the Force and pushed into him, the intrusion shutting Hux up with a loud gasp. Kylo could feel exactly where Hux needed to be touched and how, which helped make everything fast. Not wanting to leave a mess anywhere, Kylo swallowed everything down when Hux came.

Kylo stood up and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. He grinned at Hux, who hadn’t moved at all. Unable to resist touching him one last time, he reached out and touched his hair, destroying its pristine state as he ran his fingers through.

“I hate you,” Hux mumbled, which only made Kylo smile more before he left. As soon as his back was turned, his smile faded, and he couldn’t help but wonder how serious Hux’s words were.

To his surprise, he found himself heading back to the bridge. He knew Hux would return soon, so there was no reason for him to be there. Maybe he’d manage to do something right for once and give Hux one less reason to hate him. He knew he should just forget about what Hux had said - the man was already giving him what he wanted - but Kylo couldn’t just let it go.

The fact that he even cared about what Hux thought was almost enough to make him hit something. But that would have the opposite effect on Hux’s opinion on him. And Kylo actually cared about that. 

When he arrived back on the bridge, all thoughts of Hux left his mind. He had walked in on a communication from another ship, and it clearly wasn’t going well. He didn’t remember the admiral’s name, and at the moment, he really didn’t care. Almost everyone was paying attention to the admiral, shouting at the comm officer, who was trying to politely inform him that General Hux was unavailable.

Kylo stood back and listened for a while, but he didn’t get a chance to figure out what the admiral wanted. He’d threatened the young officer and then started in on the personal insults when Kylo decided he’d had enough.

“That’s not going to happen,” Kylo said, stepping up behind the officer. He startled her, but she quickly regained composure. “Why do you feel it necessary to yell at a member of my crew?”

“Your officer has refused, multiple times, to put General Hux on the line!”

“I believe she informed you that he is currently unavailable. Why you can’t understand a simple concept, doesn’t bode well for your future, Admiral. What’s so urgent that you couldn’t wait?”

“It’s not a matter you need to concern yourself with, Supreme Leader. I -”

“Unfortunately for you, I am concerning myself with it. I really want to know what this urgent matter is.”

“Recovery efforts on the _Supremacy_ have completely ceased. They’ve been citing orders, but no one seems to know where they came from.”

“This is what has you all worked up?”

“This is a very serious matter, Supreme Leader. We need the _Supremacy_ -”

“We don’t,” Kylo said. “I’m the one who ordered the ship scrapped. I do hope you haven’t impeded efforts in any way.”

Growing tired of the conversation, he ended the transmission and stepped away, feeling the relief pouring off the comm officer. Kylo faced her, and she glanced up at him.

“Did you need something, sir?” she asked. Kylo could feel her growing nervous again, but her voice was steady.

“Good work, Lieutenant.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Kylo nodded and then walked away, allowing her to finally relax. He noticed that the rest of the bridge crew had been watching his exchange with the admiral, and now that he was no longer preoccupied, they all busied themselves at their stations. All except General Hux, who was standing near the entrance to the bridge.

“Some admiral wanted to speak to you,” Kylo informed Hux as he approached him. “I took care of it. But I’m sure he’ll be angry when he does manage to contact you.”

“What did you do?” Hux asked.

“Nothing. I want you to promote that comm officer.” He gestured back towards the lieutenant.

“Can I ask why you think she deserves a promotion?”

“Mostly it’s just to spite the admiral. He was threatening to demote her.”

“I shouldn’t have asked,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll look into it. If she’s eligible for a promotion, I’ll make sure it goes through. Did Admiral Hass happen to say what he wanted?”

“I took care of it.”

“That doesn’t mean much. Although I suppose I shouldn’t care if you’ve angered him. I’ve always suspected he hated me.”

“Do you want me to find out?”

“It depends what it would cost me.”

Kylo grinned, thinking of something he wanted to try. Not wanting Hux to be left out, he sent him his ideas via the Force, causing him to blush. 

“We really need to discuss those rules,” Hux muttered. “The last thing I need is for you to be flooding my brain with such images while I’m working.”

“That came from you originally. Something you flooded _my_ brain with.”

“I know that,” Hux hissed. “Can we discuss this later? I have real work to deal with.”

“Nothing’s happening,” Kylo said, looking around the bridge. “But fine. We can go back to doing nothing if it makes you feel better.”

“We?” Hux shook his head. “I think you’ve been on the bridge long enough, Supreme Leader. I’m sure you have other duties to attend to.”

Kylo almost told Hux that he didn’t, but he realized that Hux already knew that. He just wanted him to go away. Maybe he pushed him too much already, and deciding he’d be easy to deal with later if he gave him some space, he didn’t argue. “I suppose I do.”

Hux walked past him, but Kylo couldn’t resist bothering him one last time. “Armitage,” he called loudly, drawing not only Hux’s attention but also that of most of the bridge crew. “I’ll meet you in your quarters after your shift.”

“Yes, Supreme Leader,” Hux said, quickly turning his attention to a nearby console.

 

Kylo had waited in Hux’s quarters until he returned, and the general was clearly not pleased to see him. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. Hux sat at his desk with his datapad for several minutes before pouring himself a drink and walking over to hand the datapad to Kylo, who had been lying on the couch.

“These are the rules I’d like for you to follow,” Hux said. Kylo pulled the datapad towards him with the Force and floated it above his head. He looked at the screen, but found himself unable to focus.

“Of course,” Hux continued, “it’s only fair for you to give me rules as well. Is there anything you’d like to add?”

“What?” It took Kylo a few moments to process what Hux said. “Oh. Um. No. There isn’t.”

“Are those acceptable?” Hux asked, as he poured himself a drink. 

“Are you even going to offer me a drink?” Kylo asked, ignoring Hux’s question.

Hux didn’t say anything, but he grabbed another glass, filled it and then slammed it down on the table next to Kylo. He glanced at it, then turned his attention back to the list.

“Well?” Hux asked impatiently.

“Can you just read it to me?” Kylo asked, floating the datapad over to him. 

“You are the most useless, pathetic excuse for a man I have ever met,” Hux grumbled, but he did as he was asked and began reading out the rules he had decided upon. It wasn’t a particularly long list, but Kylo still wasn’t focusing on the words.

“I don’t even see why this is necessary,” Kylo said.

“Because you don’t understand the concept of boundaries.”

“Well, I guess I can try to not bother you when you’re working,” Kylo said with a sigh. “But you have to admit, that was fun.”

“There’s more important things than fun. What about the other rules?”

“What other rules?” Kylo said out loud without really meaning too. He hadn’t paid attention, but he hadn’t intended on letting Hux know that.

“I’m going to add “listening when we’re having a discussion” to the list.”

“Sorry, Hux. I’m just a little distracted.” He held his hand out and pulled the datapad back to his hand. He read over it, surprised at how little was on it. In addition to leaving Hux alone while at work, Kylo was to schedule any sexual encounters in advance, not to let anyone else know about their relationship, not destroy anything of Hux’s, and to return his greatcoat.

“Your coat? That had to be a rule?”

“Well, you still have it and I want it back.”

“It’s a good blanket. But fine, you can have it back.” Knowing his next question, he held up his hand, which was enough to keep him quiet. “And I can try with the others. No promises.”

“Ren, this isn’t going to work if you can’t agree to be a decent human being for once in your life.”

“Why didn’t you put anything about me choking you in those rules?” Kylo asked. “I thought that you’d want to put that one in.”

“I wanted to make it simple for you to follow. Seeing as how you have terrible self-control most of the time, I thought asking you to refrain from attacking me was too much. You wouldn’t be able to do it.”

Kylo watched as Hux poured himself another glass of liquor. He drank it quickly, much faster than he had his previous two. It was probably Kylo’s fault he was drinking, but he couldn’t get anything from a casual reading. When Hux reached for the bottle again, Kylo pushed it out of the way, causing Hux to glare at him.

“What are you doing?”

“You’re drinking more than usual,” Kylo said, sitting up. “Is there something you want to talk about?”

“With you? I wasn’t aware we were doing anything besides fucking.”

Kylo didn’t say anything immediately. Instead, he stood up, taking his untouched drink with him. He put it down in front of Hux and studied his face, lightly probing to see if he could get a better read on him. He couldn’t sense anything, but he could make a guess as to why Hux seemed so upset.

He reached out for Hux’s collar, but Hux pushed his hand away. “Not right now,” Hux grumbled, reaching for Kylo’s drink, but he pulled it just out of the way.

“Take it off,” Kylo said. Hux glared at him, and Kylo thought he wouldn’t do it. But he grabbed the drink away from him and did as Kylo asked. “The undershirt too.”

Hux finished off what was left of the drink, but once again, he didn’t argue with Kylo. He could see some bruising on his sides, but Kylo suspected there was far worse to be seen. When he walked behind Hux, Kylo verified that thought. His pale skin was almost entirely covered with purple bruises.

“Hux,” Kylo said softly. He reached out to touch him, but stopped, knowing he probably couldn’t touch him without hurting him, and he’d already hurt him enough. Instead, he walked around to face him again. “I keep hurting you. Why do you put up with me?”

“I don’t have much of a choice, Supreme Leader.” Hux sneered as he said the title. 

“No, I mean, the sex thing. Why do you let me touch you?”

“Why do you care?” Hux asked as he pulled his undershirt back on.

“You said you wanted me to be a decent human being,” Kylo reminded him. “Tell me.”

“Because you’ll do me favors in return,” Hux said with a shrug. “It’s not the worse price to pay.”

Kylo didn’t believe him, but he also wasn’t about to go into his mind. The last thing he needed to do was hurt him any further. He felt the urge to comfort Hux and try to make him feel better, but he couldn’t think of anything he could say or do to make things better.

“If it’s all right with you, however,” Hux said, “I’d like to heal a little before we have sex again.”

“Of course,” Kylo agreed immediately. “You know it doesn’t always have to be sex. We could do other things together.”

“Right. Because Kylo Ren is going to accept a little bit of cuddling in place of sex. Just give me some time. Please.”

Kylo felt his cheeks growing warm at Hux’s suggestion, as that’s exactly what he would have liked. As much as he enjoyed what they did, he also really wanted to be able to just relax and hold him. 

“Let me know when you’re ready,” Kylo said, avoiding meeting Hux’s eyes. Not having anything else to talk about with him, he turned and headed for the door, wondering if there was anyway he could convince Hux that their relationship didn’t have to be a purely sexual one.


	8. Chapter 8

Hux was probably pleased at how well Kylo followed his rules over the next several days, he thought. He remained professional on the bridge, didn’t break anything, and he returned his greatcoat. He even managed to send a message first so Hux knew he was coming and he didn’t linger or even suggest that they have sex.

Although Hux hadn’t asked, Kylo had also managed to not hurt Hux any further. Even when they were alone, Kylo kept his hands to himself, and more importantly, he maintained control of his emotions, as hard as it was at times. But he was determined to show Hux he could control his powers and not throw him around every single time he got emotional.

It was one of the more difficult things he had done in some time. Especially since his plans for the _Supremacy_ were revealed. Many of the higher-ranking officers didn’t like his orders, and Kylo found himself having to defend his decision. Although it wasn’t too late to change his mind and have the massive ship repaired, Kylo wasn’t about to back down.

Getting rid of the ship did pose its own problems, and Kylo had yet to figure out the solution. While being questioned by the other generals and admirals about his plans, Hux had stepped in and claimed he and Kylo had a plan in the works, but they weren’t ready to share the details. It bought them some time, but they were definitely going to need to figure out what they were going to do.

That was the only reason Kylo had gone to Hux’s quarters. Although he wished Hux had ulterior motives for asking him to come, Kylo knew he was all business. He wouldn’t be thinking of anything besides how to best move forward. For Kylo, it promised to be dull, but at least it was only with Hux and not any of the others. Most of whom he found even more irritating than he had ever found Hux.

Once inside Hux’s quarters, Kylo immediately walked over to the couch and dropped himself on it, slouching down, as he already felt bored with the meeting. Hux was across the room, still in his uniform. Kylo expected nothing less, although he had hoped he might have been wearing only his undershirt so he could have seen how he was healing.

Hux poured two drinks and walked over to Kylo, setting one of the drinks in front of him before returning to his desk. Kylo looked at the glass in front of him, but he didn’t touch it. His attention quickly returned to Hux. Kylo watched him, but the general seemed focused on his datapad. For him, that was far from unusual. It didn’t take long for Kylo to grow restless, and he was quick to let Hux know.

“Did you really invite me here to watch you check messages?” he groaned.

“I just received an updated casualty report,” Hux informed him without looking over. “I wanted to go over it briefly.”

Not having anything better to do, Kylo took his lightsaber from his belt and began tapping it on the table. The noise seemed to catch Hux’s attention, as he looked over, but only for a brief moment.

“I thought I asked you not to destroy anything,” he said, turning his attention back to the report.

“I’m not destroying anything,” Kylo insisted.

“Anytime that stupid lightsaber comes out, you destroy something,” Hux reminded him. “Don’t you have something of your own you can tear apart?”

“Maybe you just don’t spend enough time around me and my stupid lightsaber.”

“Trust me, that’s the last thing I need more of,” Hux said, finally putting his datapad down and looking at Kylo. “So, did you actually think things through when you ordered the _Supremacy_ scrapped? If you have a plan, I’d love to hear it.”

“You already know the answer,” Kylo said. When he had initially been asked about the ship, he’d been beyond tired and very much not in the mood to think things through, so he had ordered it scrapped.

“Given how important that ship was, do you really think it’s wise to continue this course? I’ve seen the repair estimates and -”

“We’re not repairing it,” Kylo said. “What other ideas do you have?”

“Is there a reason you refuse to change your mind or are you just being stubborn?” Kylo looked up at him, but didn’t say anything, just shrugged and returned his attention to his lightsaber on the table in front of him. “It might be wise to rethink - “

“No!” Kylo shouted, rising to his feet. Seeing Hux flinch, he quickly deflated and fell back down to the couch. “I just don’t want it fixed. Do I really need to tell you why?”

“I am curious why you’re so set on this,” Hux admitted. “But of course, if you don’t want to share, that’s your business.”

Kylo picked up his saber and started tapping it on the table again. He glanced up at Hux but looked back down before speaking. “I spent a lot of time on that ship. Most of it was extremely unpleasant. Training under Snoke. The only moments of peace I had were when I was recovering from injuries he inflicted. And even then… it was terrible, Hux. Being on that ship is a constant reminder of what I went through.”

Even without telling Hux any of the details, it was hard for Kylo to talk about. He’d never spoken about his training with anyone. Not that he had anyone to talk about it with before. His Knights were his only friends, and he never spoke about it with them - they knew what Snoke did to him through the Force.

Hux’s silence only made things worse. Kylo didn’t know if he should keep talking, telling him more about what Snoke did to him, or just wait in silence. He didn’t dare look up at Hux, expecting contempt and derision on his face.

“We can put training grounds and research labs on any ship,” Hux said. “That would be easy enough, even if it would make things a bit cramped. But the shipyards? We need something the size of the _Supremacy_ for that.”

“What?” Kylo finally looked up, but Hux was looking at his datapad. Of course he was. When wasn’t he?

“Obviously, repairing it is out of the question,” Hux said, glancing at him. “So we’ll have to come up with something else. The labs, factories, shipyards. That’s going to be difficult part. We can’t put those on any ship. There’s just no space.”

That was not what Kylo expected, but he couldn’t say he was upset by Hux’s reaction. He might have preferred something more personal, but the fact that Hux seemed to understand and accept his reasons was far more than Kylo could have asked for.

“We still have most of a shipyard intact,” Kylo said, remembering the damage reports he read while quickly coming up with his own plans. “And the other one. It might just have to be salvaged for parts, but it will at least give us plenty of material to work with.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You said we need the shipyards, right?"

“Yes, and the labs, factories, and -”

“So we just keep all that. But we get rid of the ship itself. Turn it into a proper shipyard. It could be even bigger, eventually.” As he spoke, Kylo found himself pushing his glass between his hand and his lightsaber, watching as the liquid moved up and down the sides.

“And where would we build this shipyard? And what about everything else we need?”

“Pick a planet,” Kylo said with a shrug. “Put whatever we need on the surface and keep everything else in orbit. Given how long it’s going to take to do anything with that ship, we’ve got time to pick a place.”

He hadn’t stopped playing with his glass, and finally, Hux stood up, walked over to him and took it from him. Then, he reached down and took his lightsaber as well before returning to his desk. “You’re such a child.”

“If you wanted the saber so much, you know you could have asked at any time,” Kylo said.

“I’ll keep that in mind next time you throw a tantrum.” Hux looked down at his datapad for a moment, but soon returned his attention to Kylo. “Anyway, your idea might have some merit. We’ll have to estimate how much the cost will be, because it’s going to be hard to convince the others it’s a good idea if it’s going to cost more than the repairs. And of course, deciding just where we’re going to be building all this.”

“Doesn’t matter if the others like the idea,” Kylo said. “What are they going to do?”

“Create unrest, at the least. At the worst, you’d be looking at a coup. And in that case, the entire Order might fall apart and the entire galaxy will descend into chaos. All because you wanted to do whatever you wanted.”

“Snoke never listened to anyone else. Why should I have to?”

“Because Snoke earned everyone’s trust, Ren. You, on the other hand, are seen throughout the fleet as an uncontrollable child, who we all tolerated because Snoke told us you were invaluable. And while many of us doubted that statement, we trusted Snoke. And now that child has demanded control of the entire First Order and you think everyone is just going to accept that?”

“You have,” Kylo said, although as soon as he spoke, he wondered if that was even true.

“It’s for the best the transition of power is smooth. You are the last person I would have wanted to replace Snoke, but you left me very little choice. I’ve accepted that you are the Supreme Leader, but I don’t like it.”

Kylo didn’t say anything, knowing what Hux said was true. He really shouldn’t have taken over Snoke’s role. But he hadn’t had time to think things through, only time to consider the easiest way to get what he wanted.

“You’re not going to cry, are you?”

Kylo looked up at him, catching a stray thought without meaning to. Hux had seen him cry before and everytime, he had been downright rude about it, making fun of him without mercy. Hux hated it when anyone around him was too emotional, and crying was the worst. That was why Kylo had been so careful not to cry in front of him after sex. But at the moment, Hux wanted to see him in tears, and Kylo couldn’t resist digging deeper. What he found made him blush.

“Here,” Hux said, walking over to him with his drink in hand. He held it out for him, and Kylo slowly took it. “That’ll make you feel better. But you actually have to drink it.”

Kylo took a small sip and nearly spit it out. He regretted his decision to drink it, because as terrible as it tasted, that didn’t have anything on the burning feeling in his throat that didn’t go away.

“You don’t drink much, do you?”

“Not really.”

“Well, then that might make you feel worse,” Hux said, pulling the glass from his hands and finishing it. “I suppose destroying my ship is the only thing that makes you feel better.”

“She’s my ship now,” Kylo said. “And it’s not the only thing.”

“I thought we agreed to wait for a while on that,” Hux said. “I’m not quite ready for you to throw me around quite yet.”

“I’ve been nothing but gentle with you in bed. But you’ve already thought of a way we can have sex without me hurting you. You were just thinking about it.” Kylo grinned, watching as Hux’s face started to turn red.

“How much of that did you see?”

“Enough.” Kylo waited a few moments, wondering if Hux would say or do anything, but he appeared frozen. “I’m just saying it’s an option. If that’s what you want to do. I’ll do it.”

“Ren, I’m not entirely sure that’s a good idea. You’re too unpredictable and far too emotional. I can’t take the risk that I do something to you and you react with the Force. Not to mention that you are the Supreme Leader and -”

“You hate the fact that I’m the Supreme Leader,” Kylo reminded him. He stood up and approached him. Hux was nervous, but Kylo could also feel that he was excited. “You hate almost everything about me. I know you’ve wanted to do this. Finally take all your anger out on me. Throw me around. Have me crying at your feet.”

He picked up Hux’s hand and put it around his neck. After letting go, Hux left his hand where Kylo put it, but he didn’t put any pressure on him. Kylo knew he wanted to, but he just wasn’t doing it. “You can do whatever you want to me,” Kylo said. “Try not to break any bones, but if it can’t be helped…”

That didn’t seem to do anything to reassure Hux. But maybe he was going about things the wrong way. Maybe Hux didn’t need to be told that it was okay to do what he was suggesting. Maybe he just needed to get angry enough to actually do it.

“I should have expected this of you,” Kylo said. “I offer you what you’ve fantasized about for years and you won’t take it. You’re pathetic, General. How many cocks did you have to suck to get that rank? I should - “

Kylo found himself unable to speak as Hux finally tightened his hand around his throat. For a brief moment, Kylo thought Hux wasn’t going to ever let go, but finally, he pushed him backwards into a wall, and he released his grip.

“Strip,” Hux ordered. Kylo complied, taking his clothes off as quickly as he could. He stood there for several moments, Hux just watching him, and Kylo couldn’t help but feel like he was being judged. “On your knees.”

Once again, Kylo did as he was told, kneeling in front of Hux and looking up at him, waiting. He knew he could have found out just what Hux had planned - surely his mind wasn’t guarded at the moment - but Kylo was putting forth effort to not accidentally learn anything. He didn’t want to know what Hux would do, he just wanted him to do it.

Finally, after staring down at him, Hux raised up a hand and struck Kylo across the face. It stung, but Kylo wanted him to do it again. Anything to get him to touch him again.

“Look at you,” Hux sneered. “You’re pathetic.” Hux slapped him again, this time on the other side of his face. “Why don’t you make yourself useful while you’re down there?”

Kylo hesitated, not sure exactly what he wanted, but there was only one way to find out. He reached for the waist of his pants, looking at Hux’s face, hoping to see approval, but Hux’s frown didn’t disappear. But Hux didn’t stop him, so he continued, pulling his pants down as far as he could before putting his hands on Hux.

“Is that the best you can do, Ren? Useless.”

Kylo opened his mouth, but either he was moving to slow, or Hux was just impatient. Hux grabbed Kylo’s head and shoved himself inside his mouth. Instinctively, Kylo tried to push away, but Hux held him, balling his hands up into fists in his hair. He relaxed, letting Hux use him, but he didn’t think that he might be in actual danger until he felt cold metal at his neck.

As the blade pressed into his skin, he regretted telling Hux he could do whatever he wanted. He almost stopped him. But he didn’t want it to end or for Hux to stop touching him. And he didn’t want Hux to think any less of him, if that were even possible in the first place. As he felt the weapon cutting into him, he didn’t think about the pain or the warm blood dripping down his chest. Instead, he focused only on pleasing Hux.

When Hux finally withdrew his knife, Kylo didn’t have long to relax, as Hux put his boot on his chest and kicked him to the floor. Looking up at him, Kylo had the suspicion things would only get worse from there. Still, the pain was only physical, which Kylo could handle.

Every time Kylo cried out in pain, he remembered he’d faced far worse, without any sort of immediate reward. Now, even though his whole body was beginning to ache, he was happy to put up with it because Hux was touching him, and he just couldn’t get enough. It was all he wanted - Hux’s hands on his body. Even if it wasn’t the soft touches he craved, Kylo would take would he could get.

By the time Hux had finished with him, Kylo could barely move. As much as Hux had hurt him, he hadn’t cried. But then, as Hux was laying on top of him, he reached out and gently caressed his cheek, and Kylo just about lost it, wanting nothing more than to have Hux touch him like that again and again. But then, the moment was over and Hux stood and walked away, leaving Kylo a mess on the floor.

Fighting back tears, Kylo forced himself to his feet. Hux wouldn’t want him in his quarters any longer than necessary, and hopefully, he’d manage to leave before Hux came back from the refresher.

“Kylo?” At the sound of his name, he glanced behind him to see Hux frowning at him.

“I’m almost done,” Kylo said, trying to get dressed quicker. But Hux had gone all out, and he knew he would be in pain for days. “I’ll be out of your way soon.”

“You’re leaving?”

“What else am I supposed to do?”

“Right,” Hux said. “Well, I’ve already got the bacta gel. You can at least let me put it on.”

“Do whatever you want,” Kylo muttered. He continued dressing, refusing to look at Hux. When he felt Hux standing beside him, he froze, briefly looking at him before turning his attention back to his clothes.

“It’s hard to apply it if you’re trying to get dressed,” Hux said, pushing his arms down by his side. Kylo stopped moving, and finally, when Hux rubbed the cold gel over his cuts, he realized what was happening. Without thinking about it, Kylo started to lean into Hux’s touch, but as soon as realized what he was doing he pulled away from him.

Kylo let him finish, but as soon as Hux took a step back, Kylo finished getting putting his clothes on. He didn’t even bother to get fully dressed, leaving his belt and boots behind. His quarters weren’t far away, so he wasn’t worried about anyone seeing him. He just needed to put some space between him and Hux as quickly as possible.


	9. Chapter 9

Kylo knew that Hux must have seen the tears in his eyes, and he found he couldn’t bring himself to face him. It wouldn’t be easy, but Kylo could do his best to avoid him. There were plenty of other officers on the _Finalizer_ who were competent enough. Kylo would deal with them instead.

Because he knew Hux’s schedule, he could very easily avoid the bridge during those hours. And Hux was a creature of habit, meaning Kylo could predict his whereabouts most of the time. But of course, Hux was the general and the person the others went to with any issues they had. Even when Kylo was on the bridge.

He sensed Hux’s approach before he walked through the door and immediately made to leave. As he stomped away, he glanced at the officers on the bridge, wondering which of them might have summoned Hux. If he wanted to stick around, he might find out, but his goal was to be gone before Hux arrived.

“Ren,” Hux said. The door opened just as Kylo arrived and Hux stepped through. Kylo didn’t acknowledge him and continued on his way. He should have known that Hux would end up on the bridge even in his off hours, which meant Kylo didn’t want to be there at all.

Fortunately, Kylo could spend all his time in his quarters if he wanted. There was no reason he needed to be present on the bridge or anywhere else. Instead, he could stick to his quarters and communicate via messages and have anything he needed delivered, and it also gave him the perfect reason to stop neglecting his training, which he had done since becoming Supreme Leader.

Unfortunately for Kylo, in addition to leaving some of his clothes in Hux’s quarters, he’d also left his lightsaber. If he wanted to do lightsaber drills, he had no choice but to go retrieve it. The simplest solution was to go to Hux’s quarters when he would be on the bridge. Hux would certainly know he’d been there, but it would be far too late for him to do anything about it.

He walked down the hallway but froze with his hand on the access panel. Just because Hux wasn’t supposed to be there didn’t mean something unexpected hadn’t sent Hux back. Kylo’s heartbeat started racing at the thought of facing Hux. 

Taking several deep breaths and calming down, Kylo reached out with the Force, searching for Hux’s presence. He sensed him, but could clearly detect that he wasn’t inside. He quickly opened the door and stormed inside, eyes searching for his weapon. It was sitting in one corner of the room along with his belt and boots and he called it to his hand with the Force. As he was about to leave, something else caught his eye.

He walked over to examine a spot on the otherwise clean floor. Clearly, it was dried blood and Kylo knew exactly how it got there. What he didn’t understand was why it hadn’t been cleaned. He couldn’t imagine Hux hadn’t noticed but it wasn’t like him to leave a mess. There was no time to dwell on it - he needed to leave before he was caught in Hux’s quarters.

Returning to his quarters, he started his lightsaber drills, practicing without break until he was exhausted and then, he pushed himself to continue going. When he finally felt like he might collapse, he used the Force to keep himself upright, the pain in his body making him stronger. He almost never pushed himself to that point, but at the moment, he needed it.

Eventually, not even the Force was enough to keep him on his feet, and he dropped to the floor. He wanted to get back up and keep going, he wanted to punish himself. For what, he wasn’t quite sure, but all he knew was that he had done something wrong. He deserved to be in pain, and what Hux did to him and what he did to himself just wasn’t enough.

At least the physical pain, he knew how to deal with. He could use it to make himself stronger. But that other pain that he felt when he was with Hux that wasn’t in a place he could pinpoint - that was something Kylo couldn’t handle. It hurt so much being around him, knowing that Hux would never reciprocate his feelings.

Part of him hated Hux and never wanted to see him again. He knew he could have him transferred from the _Finalizer_ , but somehow, the thought of not seeing him seemed worse. Kylo couldn’t imagine a situation when he’d say no to Hux, even though he was fully aware Hux was only using him. Still, it was the closest thing he would ever get to a loving relationship.

He heard his door open, but he was too exhausted to lift his head to see who or what had opened it. He didn’t think he was in any danger, and if so, he didn’t actually care at the moment. He could only hope it was someone coming to kill him and put him out of his misery.

“Kylo!” 

He weakly lifted his head at the sound of the familiar voice, but barely managed to open his eyes. A flash of orange hair was all he needed to see before closing his eyes again. It was just Hux. If he wanted to ridicule him, then so be it. Kylo probably wouldn’t even remember.

“Kylo, what happened? Are you hurt?” He felt Hux’s hands on him, checking his pulse and looking for any injuries. 

“I’m fine,” Kylo managed to say.

“No, you’re not. You’re going to medical.” 

Kylo opened his eyes once again to see Hux with his comm out. It took effort, but Kylo managed to move his arm just enough to knock it from his hand. Or maybe he used the Force. He wasn’t quite sure. Just as long as Hux didn’t make that call, Kylo didn’t care how he did it.

“I’m fine,” he insisted. “Just overexerted myself.”

“So why did you summon me like you were in danger?”

“I didn’t,” Kylo said, shaking his head.

“Well, I certainly felt something,” Hux said. “What was that then?”

“Wasn’t me.” He had been, and still was, in a bad emotional state. He knew he had very poor control over himself at the moment. Another Force user in the area certainly would have picked up on it. He was certain his Knights could feel it, half the galaxy away due to their relationship. But Hux, a non-Force sensitive shouldn’t have felt a thing.

“I was on the bridge and suddenly I just had this terrible feeling. About you. And that you were in some kind of distress. I thought something happened.”

“I’m fine. You can go now.” Kylo knew he was crying, knew he probably had been when Hux looked at him earlier. But he didn’t want Hux to stay there and watch him cry. It was best if he dealt with it on his own.

To his surprise, Hux didn’t go. Instead, he sat down on the floor next to him. Kylo told himself that he imagined that. Hux was a busy man - he didn’t have time to sit around with him because he was having a bad day. But then, he felt Hux’s hand on his shoulder.

“I did worry about you,” Hux said. “After our last encounter. You never responded to any of my messages.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Neither do I. But I think we need to.”

Kylo wasn’t sure what would be worse - Hux saying he never wanted to have sex with him again, or he only wanted to do it if he could hurt Kylo at the same time. Either way, it was not a discussion he wanted to have. Especially not when he couldn’t stop crying.

“Kylo,” Hux said softly. He put an arm around his shoulder and then gently pulled him in. Too weak to resist, Kylo fell into Hux’s chest, crying while Hux held him, running his fingers through his hair.

“Why?” Kylo asked eventually. “Why are you doing this?”

“It’s what you need, isn’t it?”

Kylo didn’t ask if it was because he needed it, or because the Supreme Leader needed it. He knew what Hux meant. Still, to be in Hux’s arms wasn’t something he was going to complain about. And maybe he could pretend that Hux actually cared about him, not just the fact that he was the Supreme Leader.

“Are you able to move?” Hux asked after a long period of silence. Kylo nodded, but said nothing. “Good. Because I don’t know what you’ve been doing the last few days, but you are in desperate need of a shower.”

Days? That came as a surprise to Kylo, but it wasn’t the first time he lost track of time. He didn’t have the energy to both question Hux and stand up, and Hux was already moving. He felt unsteady on his feet, but Hux never let go of him, walking him to the refresher and then helping him take his clothes off.

Kylo almost asked Hux to join him in the shower, but he didn’t feel like getting rejected at the moment. He’d stopped crying, but he knew he might start again and he’d already cried enough in front of Hux.

“I noticed you had taken your lightsaber,” Hux said while Kylo was in the shower. “When you feel up to it, you’ll have to come pick your boots and belt up from my quarters. Or I could bring them to you if you prefer.”

Kylo said nothing, instead, focusing on getting clean. Only as he was washing himself did he realize how much sweat and dirt was on his body and it felt good to get it off. The feel of the warm water was comforting and even after he had finished getting himself cleaned up, he stood in the shower, not caring how much time he wasted.

“I really do want to know what you did to put yourself in such a state,” Hux said after a while, snapping Kylo back to reality.

Kylo shut the water off and stepped out of the shower. He reached for a towel, but Hux got there first, taking it and starting to dry him off. As he stood still and let Hux work, Kylo wondered just what his motive was for treating him in such a way. He probably wanted something. Although even that didn’t add up since Kylo already owed Hux a favor.

“Kylo,” Hux said when he was drying off his chest. He moved the towel gently over the wounds that were just under his collarbone. “You haven’t been taking care of your wounds. When was the last time you put bacta on it?”

Kylo only shook his head. He hadn’t even thought about it. Nor had he realized just how long it had been since Hux put bacta on him. Hux sighed and then led him back to the bedroom, settling him down on his bed before rummaging through his drawers to find his underwear. He tossed it to Kylo before leaving. Although he wished Hux would have stayed, or at least said goodbye, Kylo knew he had more important things to do.

To his surprise, Hux returned soon after he put his underwear on and sat next to him. He had a small bottle and he squirted the contents of it on the cuts on his chest and then had him sit up so he could apply it to his back as well. He could smell the bacta as Hux spread it around. When he had finished, Hux looked over the rest of Kylo’s body as he laid back down.

“You don’t need bacta anywhere else?” Hux asked and Kylo shook his head. “You should be using that everyday. Hopefully that doesn’t end up scarring.”

“Because I’m so worried about another scar,” Kylo muttered. 

“These have stories behind them,” Hux said, lightly touching the scar on his face and then his still-healing wound. “I don’t think you’d ever want to tell someone how you got this. Speaking of that, we should talk.”

“Not now,” Kylo said.

“I’m not letting you put this off. It’s important. I know I overstepped and pushed your limits too far. And I wanted to apologize for that. I can’t imagine you’d want to do anything like that again, and I understand. I won’t push you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

He had to be dreaming or hallucinating. Hux being gentle was almost believable, but apologizing? For hurting him? That was not something Hux would do. Ever. Especially since Kylo had given him permission to do whatever he wanted. Kylo expected Hux to tell him to get over it and stop crying.

“I don’t understand,” Kylo said, still trying to figure out if Hux was even really there. Maybe he was hallucinating. Or dead.

“I can’t imagine what’s hard to understand about that,” Hux said. That certainly sounded like Hux. 

“You didn’t even do anything,” Kylo said.

“Kylo, you were in tears when I was done. Obviously, I hurt you far more than you were anticipating. I know what you told me, but I never should have taken it so seriously. I should have at least made sure you were still enjoying yourself.”

“I was,” Kylo assured him. “I wasn’t crying because of what you did. Trust me, I’ve been through much worse. Snoke used to torture me for days at a time as part of my training.”

“Because comparing what I did to you to actual torture makes things so much better.” Hux fell silent before reaching for his face once again, letting his hand rest on his cheek. “Why didn’t you stop me?”

“I didn’t want to ruin the moment,” Kylo said, leaning his face into Hux’s hand. “Still don’t.”

“Ren, if I’m doing something to you that you don’t like, I need to know. I can’t read your mind. How is this relationship supposed to work if you feel like you’re being tortured?”

“What relationship?” Kylo pushed his hand away. “Don’t pretend that you’re doing any of this because you care. We both know you want something from me.” 

“That’s not… I mean, yes.” If he had anything else to say, he didn’t get a chance, as there was an alert at his door. Hux stood and walked away. He heard Hux speaking to someone, and then what sounded like a droid. Shortly after, Hux returned with a tray.

“I thought you might be hungry,” Hux said, setting the tray down on the table next to the bed. “When was the last time you ate?”

“Apparently, days ago.” Kylo sat up just enough to grab the glass of water. He didn’t feel hungry, but he was definitely thirsty. “You can stop pretending you care.”

“I’m not pretending.”

“You wanted to shoot me not that long ago,” Kylo reminded him. “You really think I believe that you care about my wellbeing? It’s even more laughable that you’re pretending to care about hurting me. You’ve been imagining yourself doing far worse to me for years.”

“Things change,” Hux said.

“Yes, now the person who can give you what you want is someone you also find attractive. And you really didn’t hesitate to take advantage, did you? You’re such a -”

Kylo never had a chance to finish as he found Hux’s hands around his throat, cutting off his air. Although not nearly at full strength after his training, Kylo had enough anger to use the Force, choking Hux. As soon as Hux’s grip loosened, Kylo also released Hux, and he collapsed right on top of Kylo.

Even though they had both just attacked each other, Kylo had to resist the urge to put his arms around him and hold him. Hux made a strange sound, almost like a laugh, but Kylo couldn’t imagine Hux ever laughing.

“And to think I was trying to convince you I do care about you,” Hux said, pushing himself off of Kylo just enough so he could look at his face. Kylo saw that he was actually smiling, which caught him off guard. 

“Try harder next time.”

“Fine.” Hux climbed off of him and Kylo thought he was going to leave, but instead, he took off his uniform and returned to the bed in his underclothes. He laid down next to Kylo and put his arms around him.

“What are you doing?” Kylo asked, surprised by the action, but not displeased. 

“You seemed to like it when I held you earlier,” Hux said. “Thought I’d try it again.”

Earlier. When Hux claimed he’d been summoned to his quarters by a feeling. Kylo had almost forgotten about that. The idea of Hux somehow being aware of his emotional state was quite unnerving and Kylo didn’t know how such a thing could have happened. But that was something to worry about later. He didn’t want to think about anything besides being in Hux’s arms.


	10. Chapter 10

A loud beep woke Kylo. It wasn’t just his comm, either. Hux’s comm was also beeping, as were both their datapads. He felt Hux starting to move behind him, but wanting him to stay just a bit longer, Kylo used the Force to bring his comm to him.

“This is Hux,” he answered.

“General, this is Colonel Peton. There’s been an uprising on Kestri. We’re attempting to contact Supreme Leader Ren, but -”

“He’s with me,” Hux said, getting up from the bed immediately and starting to put his clothes back on.

“Two of my Knights are already there,” Kylo said, speaking loud enough for Hux’s comm to pick it up. “They might have it under control before we can get there.”

“Understood, Supreme Leader,” the colonel said.

Finally, all the beeping stopped, or at least most of it. There was one final alert on Kylo’s datapad, but he ignored it like he did all the others. He felt much better after the short nap, although he would have liked to stay in bed longer. Of course, what he really liked was Hux being there, and Hux would certainly be heading to the bridge, and Kylo knew that he should be there as well, for appearances, if nothing else.

“You seem unconcerned about the situation,” Hux said as Kylo slowly got dressed. “Why were your Knights even there?”

“The diplomatic meeting,” Kylo said, pulling his pants on. “I got a feeling from whatever his name was. Like he didn’t like me. My Knights were just observing. Not causing trouble. Are you stopping by your quarters before you go to the bridge?”

“I really don’t have time,” Hux said. “Feel free to go get your boots if you want.”

“Your uniform is a mess. You should probably change.”

Hux frowned as he looked down at his uniform, then sighed. “I suppose you’re right. I’ll see you on the bridge, then.”

“I’ll go with you,” Kylo said. Hux glanced down at his sock-clad feet, but said nothing as he walked out the door to Kylo’s quarters and walked down the hallway to his own. In the interest of saving at least a small amount of time, Kylo opened the door with the Force before they got there.

While Hux changed his uniform, Kylo found his boots and belt neatly in one corner of the room. He put them on quickly and then clipped his lightsaber to his belt. Kylo was ready to go before Hux, and he didn’t bother to wait, heading up to the bridge.

He felt Hux’s presence only a few moments after he arrived, but didn’t pay much attention to him. Kylo noticed Captain Peavey on the bridge, but instead approached Colonel Peton. He liked her quite a bit more than Peavey.

“Colonel, is there anything to report?”

“Sir,” she said, glancing behind him quickly, but then returned her attention back to him. “Captain Peavey has ordered all hyperspace-ready battlecruisers to prepare for the jump to lightspeed. We’re waiting on final orders from either you or the general.”

“We won’t need all of them,” Kylo said, shaking his head. He had read up on Kestri after that diplomatic meeting. They had a significant military force, but it was no match for anything the First Order could throw at them. Especially with two of the Knights of Ren. “In addition to the _Finalizer_ , we’ll only need one or two others. The rest should stay here to guard that wreck.”

“Supreme Leader,” Captain Peavey said from behind him. Kylo turned his head slightly, but waited for the captain to walk around to face him. “I think it might be wiser to show more strength. We might even intimidate them into standing down.”

“We don’t have time for a committee meeting, Captain,” Kylo replied. “Two battlecruisers will be sufficient.”

“Yes, sir,” Captain Peavey said before walking away.

“Do you have a plan or are you just making him mad?” Hux asked quietly as he came up behind him.

“What?” Kylo asked, not sure what he was talking about.

“Peavey's plan,” Hux said. “Did you reject it just because you don't like him? Not that it matters. It wasn't a good idea, so I'm glad you stopped it, regardless of why.”

Of course Hux thought he was just being petty. He hadn't even considered that Kylo had done research and had some idea of what he was doing. Kylo told himself that it didn’t matter what Hux thought just so long as he obeyed orders, but it still hurt that Hux thought so little of him.

“Pick another ship to accompany us to Kestri,” Kylo told Hux. “And then make the jump to lightspeed.”

Within minutes, they were on their way to Kestri. There wasn’t much that could be done in hyperspace except receive and respond to communications, so Kylo ordered much of the crew to take a break. He wanted as many of them as well rested as possible when they arrived at the planet.

There wasn’t much in the way of updates coming in, as the small First Order base on the planet had been overrun. The rest of the ship didn’t know that, however. Kylo only knew because Teris Ren had told him so. He had joined in with the military-led mob, which Kylo didn’t like, but he trusted Teris to keep himself safe.

The other Knight, Lys Ren, was keeping an eye on the situation at a mine, not far from where Teris was. Although protesters had blocked access to the mine and shut it down, there hadn’t been any violence yet. Kylo didn’t expect much to happen there - the miners weren’t First Order personnel and that’s where the majority of the violence was directed. Instead of wasting his Knight watching nothing, he asked her to decide on the best landing site for him and his troops and to secure the area.

“Supreme Leader?”

Having been in conversation with his Knights, Kylo hadn’t been aware of what was happening on the bridge. Now that he ended the connection, he saw Hux was standing very close to him. He almost asked if that wasn’t breaking one of his rules, but it wasn’t like Kylo cared.

“Are you feeling well?” Hux asked.

“I was talking to my Knights,” Kylo explained. “One has infiltrated the mob that took over our base, and the other is scouting a landing site for us. Once we arrive, we can be on the ground quickly and hopefully end this within the day.”

“I hope you have more of a plan than that,” Hux said, still standing near him. Kylo wanted to touch him, but he couldn’t, not in front of everyone. 

“We’re working on it,” Kylo assured him, taking a step away so he’d be less tempted to reach out and touch that red hair. He hadn’t had time to plaster it in gel, leaving it loose and soft. “We have several hours before we arrive, and things could change by then.”

By the time they made it to Kestri, things had changed, mostly in their favor. Teris had helped create division in the mob, turning some against the the Kestri military as well, and Lys had sabotaged the capital city’s automatic defenses, making it safe for them to land within the city itself.

“General,” Kylo called, getting Hux’s attention once they arrived. He wanted to say something, tell him that he’d return safely, but anything he said would tell Hux exactly how much he cared, and he couldn’t have that. Instead, he removed his cape and draped it over Hux’s shoulders. “Take care of that for me.”

“What?” Hux looked confused but Kylo didn’t know what there was to explain. He started to leave but Hux grabbed his arm. “You can’t seriously be planning on going on the ground yourself.”

“Of course I am,” Kylo said. “It’s what I do.”

“It’s what you _did_. You’re more than just a knight now. You’re the Supreme Leader. You can’t just go throwing yourself into dangerous situations.”

“I can do whatever I want, General,” he said, pulling his arm away. He and Hux stared at each other, Kylo silently daring Hux to try and stop him, but he said nothing, so Kylo turned and walked away.

“Ren!” 

Kylo turned around and saw Hux hadn’t moved from where he left him. He stood there, looking lost, like he wanted to say something, but he remained silent. Kylo reached out to him with the Force, and as he picked up Hux’s thoughts, he couldn’t help but smile. He caressed his cheek from across the bridge, almost imagining that Hux leaned into the touch. 

“Don’t worry, General,” he said in response to his thoughts. “I will be.”

 

One last obstacle stood in their way before Kestri’s minor uprising was brought to an end. The planetary governor had barricaded himself in his mansion along with what remained of their military forces. And that wasn’t even much of a problem. The issue was that Hux had advised they try to do minimal damage to the building. It wouldn’t look good for the First Order to be destroying cities on their own planets. Kylo would have loved to order the mansion bombarded from orbit - and the gunners were accurate enough to not destroy anything else - but he decided to do as Hux suggested. 

Although the Knights of Ren really didn’t do “careful” well, Kylo had decided to leave the stormtroopers on the outside, guarding the perimeter, while he went in with Teris and Lys. The Force guided them, leading them exactly where their targets were. It was far too easy, which probably should have made them cautious. But Kylo wanted it over with quickly, and he didn’t think as he walked into the main hall, his Knights by his side.

When the doors shut behind him, Kylo finally realized he had made a mistake. He sensed the danger and reacted as quickly as he could, pushing Teris and Lys away with the Force, just milliseconds before he found himself flying through the air with a deafening roar.

Kylo didn’t know exactly what happened. He remembered his Knights standing over him, lightsabers ignited, Lys firing a blaster as well. Next thing he knew, they were by his side, each one holding his hand. One of them touching his hair. He tried to move, but he couldn’t. Teris, he thought. He was holding him down with the Force.

He blinked, and when he opened his eyes, Hux was standing over him, and that’s when he knew he had to be seriously hurt. If he was hallucinating, he probably needed medical attention. He tried to speak, wanting to tell Teris and Lys about what was wrong, but something wasn’t right. Lys was speaking to Hux, so either it was a group hallucination - which was entirely possible given their connection in the Force - or Hux was actually there.

“Use your sorcery or whatever you have to do!” Hux barked at Lys. It sounded too much like Hux to be anything but the real thing, but Kylo didn’t understand why he would be there. “Get him better or get him back to the ship!”

“I don’t answer to you, General!” Lys shouted back. “Why are you even here?”

“He needs help! And the medical team can’t get in until this building’s been cleared, so I need you two to stop being useless and get him out of here!”

Kylo could feel Lys’s anger and knew she was about to respond, violently, so he gripped her hand as tight as he could, while telling her to stand down through the Force. He couldn’t have her trying to attack him. Not when he needed to yell at him.

“Hux, what do you mean this building hasn’t been cleared?” He tried sitting up again, but Teris still held him down. He didn’t have the strength to speak and try to fight Teris’s hold.

“The troops need to ensure there’s no more combatants or bombs before they can move the debris to allow the medical team in,” Hux said. “Can’t you order your people to take you out of here?”

“If it’s not safe, what are you doing here?” Kylo tried shouting at him, but he couldn’t. Still, he knew his anger could be felt in the Force, and given the way Hux flinched, he must have felt it.

“You’re here!” Hux shouted back. “What am I supposed to do when you go and get yourself blown up? Just sit back and wait while your useless Knights hold your hand?”

Kylo felt jealousy rolling off of Hux like a wave, and that caught him off guard. It was the last thing he would have expected. He didn’t have anytime to wonder what caused such a strong feeling because Lys jumped to her feet, lightsaber ignited and held at Hux’s neck.

“You’d better show him some respect!” Lys spat at him. “He’s hurt and doesn’t need you shouting at him!”

“Because hand holding is what he needs,” Hux replied, completely unafraid.

“As if you would know what he needs! After everything you’ve done to him -”

“Stop,” Kylo ordered. He only meant it for Lys, but to his surprise, Hux fell silent as well. Lys returned to his side, taking his hand once again. He could see that Lys was watching Hux still, and could feel something passing between the two of them, but he couldn’t quite focus on it.

“Is there any way the two of you could be convinced to move him out of here?” Hux asked after a while. “Or do I need to drag him?”

“If you even think about touching him -”

“Lys,” Kylo warned, gripping her hand tighter. He didn’t need them fighting at the moment. “Hux is right. We need to leave.” He tried sitting up, but his Knights wouldn’t let him.

“Don’t move, Master,” Teris said. “We’ll see to your safety.”

“Teris, I want you to make sure the general is safe as well.” Under most circumstances, Lys would have been the better choice to guard someone while having Teris stay with him, but Kylo suspected Lys would put her saber through Hux if given even half the chance.

They didn’t run into much trouble on the way out, and Teris was able to take care of the small amount of resistance they ran into. When the had made it outside, they were quickly met by the medical team and Kylo was put down on a stretcher. He felt his Knights presence, as they had decided to stay with him. He wanted to tell them to stay behind and make sure they were no longer needed, but he didn’t have the energy to tell them. And he didn’t want them to leave.


	11. Chapter 11

The two warm bodies on either side of him didn’t cause Kylo to wake up. At least, not directly. Instead, it was the sheer rage coming from one of those bodies that stirred him. And there was something else he could feel in the Force as well, although he couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

“I don’t see why I shouldn’t be allowed to see the Supreme Leader,” Hux said. That explained what Kylo felt. Jealousy. Again. He opened his eyes to see Hux standing near the door to the recovery room.

“The last thing he needs is you,” Lys growled. She was laying behind him, her arm wrapped protectively around him. 

“That’s unfortunate, because I’m not going away until I have an update on his status.”

“He’s fine. Go away.”

“It’s okay, Lys,” Kylo muttered. “I want him here.”

“Master, he’s not good for you.”

“I don’t believe we’ve actually met before,” Hux said, walking closer to the bed. “Did I do something to make you hate me this much?”

“You know what you’ve done to our master,” she said.

“I don’t know what he’s told you, but he asked me to do those things to him. He’s done far worse to me. And I didn’t ask for it.”

“Not that. It’s what happens to him after -”

“Lys, please,” Kylo interrupted. He didn’t need his Knight telling Hux all his secrets. “Hux, did you actually come here to see me?”

“I need to make sure you’re healing,” Hux said. “I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”

“You could have commed the doctors,” Kylo said, trying not to smile. “There really is no reason you had to come down here yourself.”

“You’re right,” Hux said, turning to leave.

“Wait, Hux,” Kylo said. “Stay.”

“It seems you have plenty of company already.” Despite his words, he did stop and turn around to face Kylo once again.

“Jealousy doesn’t suit you,” Kylo said. “You really don’t need to be. What you and I have is very different than what I have with my Knights.”

“What is it that we have, again?”

“Hux, stop talking and come over here. I know you want to. Teris, make some room.” The Knight laying in front of him, groaned, but moved away slightly, and Kylo pushed himself back just enough so there would be room for Hux between the two of them.

“You think I want to crawl in bed with you and your Knights? Ren, you’re an idiot. I -”

Hux let out a cry of surprise as he was lifted into the air and then gently set down on the bed. Kylo smiled, glad one of his Knights decided to silence him. And it made him even happier that they managed to not hurt Hux while they did it. Which meant Teris had probably done it.

“What are you doing, Ren?” Hux hissed at Kylo.

“Just expediting,” Teris grumbled. “I’m trying to sleep. And it’ll take the two of you forever to just admit what you want. So shut up, General. You too, Master.”

“Where did the medical staff even get a bed large enough for this?” Hux asked. “Ren, your Knight is touching me.”

“Calm down, Hux. He’s not going to hurt you.” Kylo lifted his hand up to touch Hux’s face and he could feel that Teris was wrapping an arm around Hux and pushing him closer to Kylo. 

“Ren!” Hux hissed.

“Yes, General?” Teris asked.

“You really need to be more specific,” Kylo said. He couldn’t help but smile at the angry expression on Hux’s face, especially since it wasn’t matching what Kylo could feel in the Force. 

“I don’t like this, _Kylo_ ,” Hux said. “I agreed to have a relationship with you, not your Knights.”

“You don’t have a relationship with him,” Lys said. “You’re an experiment.”

“Hux, just relax,” Kylo said, ignoring Lys. “My Knights won’t harm you. Teris is already doing his worst to you.”

“I can do quite a bit worse if I don’t get enough sleep,” Teris grumbled.

“And you need to rest, Master,” Lys added.

Kylo couldn’t argue with that - he was exhausted enough with their conversation and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. He pulled Hux’s head close and kissed him on top of the head. “We’ll talk later. I’m sorry.”

Before Hux could question what he meant, Kylo put him to sleep with the Force.

 

Kylo felt well-rested and found himself able to enjoy a few moments of peace that he knew would never last. Lys had left, and Kylo had rolled onto his back, and Hux and Teris had followed him. Hux was laying across his chest, his head resting on his shoulder, Kylo’s hand in his hair. Teris was curled up at his side, using his bicep as a pillow and had a hand on Kylo’s shoulder.

When the door opened, he didn’t worry, feeling Lys’s presence. She was dressed in her robes but didn’t have her mask. When she first walked in, she paused, but then climbed back onto the bed. Given how they had shifted in her absence, this put her very close to Hux, and Kylo wrapped an arm around him.

“It’s hard to sit back when he’s hurting you,” Lys said, looking at Hux.

“He doesn’t even know what he’s doing,” Kylo said. “It’s not his fault.”

“I can try to not hate him,” Lys muttered.

“This probably won’t be the easiest time for that,” Kylo replied, feeling him stirring under his arm. Reluctantly, he let go of him, deciding he might take things a little better if Kylo wasn’t holding him.

He felt Hux wake up, and for a brief moment, he didn’t move from where he was, but Kylo could feel in the Force the exact moment when Hux remembered what had happened and he sat up, first with fear, but that was quickly replaced with anger.

“Ren! What did you do to me?”

“Sorry,” he said. “I was tired and you weren’t going to stop complaining. So I made you stop.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t have had anything to complain about if you didn’t make me get involved in... whatever this is!” He waved his hand over him and his Knights.

“Yet you’re still here with us,” Kylo said with a grin. “And to be fair, I’m not the one who dragged you into bed.”

“And I wasn’t holding you down,” Teris added, eyes still closed. “You could have left. But you didn’t.”

“What’s your point?” Hux snapped.

Kylo sat up and took one of Hux’s hands in his, pleasantly surprised when he didn’t pull away. “We could feel that you wanted to be with us,” he said. “Or with me. And I know it must have been strange having the others here, but you liked it. It’s okay if you don’t want to admit it.”

“You’re delusional,” Hux muttered, taking his hand back and finally getting off the bed. “This isn’t going to happen again. I do have other things to do besides take naps.”

“Sorry,” Kylo said. He should have known better than to use the Force on Hux in such a way, especially since it took him away from his work. Kylo could have blamed the fact that he was injured, but that wouldn’t matter to Hux. He would likely be angry for a while. But something else occured to Kylo. “Hux?”

“What?”

“When you found me after the explosion. Why were you there? You shouldn’t have been on planet at all.”

“You were in trouble and needed help.”

“How did you know? That I was injured.” He had certainly been in no position to call for help and he knew neither of his Knights would have. They certainly wouldn’t have called Hux of all people.

“There was an explosion reported and of course you had to be involved because when aren’t you throwing yourself into danger? Even after promising to be careful.”

_“He’s lying,”_ Lys said, speaking through the Force. _“No one could have possibly known you were injured. We didn’t speak to any of the troopers and none of them could have seen for themselves. He arrived long before anyone else knew what had happened.”_

“Tell me the truth, Armitage,” Kylo said. 

“Do you remember when I found you in your quarters?” Hux asked with a sigh. Kylo nodded and he continued. “It was similar to that. I could feel that you were hurt and I knew I had to get to you.”

“That’s not possible,” Lys said, quickly getting to her feet. Teris, too, seemed far more alert than he had moments before. 

“I don’t see why not,” Hux said. “You do all kinds of things with your sorcery. What’s so strange about that?”

“Because it would mean you can feel exactly what we feel when Kylo’s hurt,” Lys said. “You’re not one of us. You’re nothing but a -”

“Lys,” Kylo said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back towards him. She fell back onto the bed and Kylo put his arms around her, hoping it might make her calm down a bit. He felt her relaxing and loosened his grip, trusting she wouldn’t jump up and strike him. Turning her head, she kissed him on the edge of his jaw.

“Well, I’m sure I have work to catch up on,” Hux said, not looking directly at Kylo.

“I’d better go too,” Lys said, pushing Kylo off of her. “Hieron will be here soon.”

“Another Knight?” Hux asked. “Will each of you require your own quarters?”

Kylo and his Knights looked at each other, Teris and Lys unable to keep themselves from laughing, and Kylo smiled. “Hux, look at us. What do you think?”

“Right. Well, if you need anything, don’t bother me about it.” With that, he turned and left, and Lys wasn’t far behind. 

Kylo didn’t like the idea of her following him so closely, but as much as she didn’t like him, he knew she wouldn’t hurt him. At least, not much. And with Hieron arriving, it was entirely possible her departure had nothing to do with Hux, although he doubted that.

Teris put his arms around him, pulling on him gently, and Kylo relented, laying back down. It had been so long since he’d been with any of his Knights, so even though he felt healed enough, he decided to stay in bed just a bit longer.


	12. Chapter 12

After leaving medical, Kylo stopped by his quarters to get a fresh set of clothes, since his old ones had been pretty torn up in the explosion. No one would say anything if he did walk around in nothing but loose pants and an undershirt, but he didn’t like feeling that exposed. Once at his quarters, he felt the excited energies of Lys and Hieron, and when he opened the door, he was not surprised to be greeted with a hug.

“Hieron,” he said, lifting them up and walking inside. It had been over a year since he’d last seen the Twi’lek, and he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed them. They had clearly missed him just as much, as they didn’t release him until he’d walked over to the bed where Lys sat.

“Kylo,” Hieron said, finally taking a good look at him. They reached up and touched the scar on his face, tracing it all the way down to his neck. “You’ve been in so much pain.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “I’m sorry if I worried you.”

“You always worry us,” Lys said. 

“But we’ll always forgive you,” Hieron added.

“I know,” he said, turning his back on his Knights and going to his closet. The first thing he noticed was the colors. Where he used to have nothing but black, there were reds, golds, and silvers. Looking at the garments, he realized they must have been things Hux ordered.

Most of it was quite similar to his robes, just more ornate. He smiled at that, glad Hux hadn’t made too many changes to his clothing. Although he had some of his older clothes as well, he decided to wear one of his new robes. He decided on robes similar to his usual style that went to the floor, but it was lined with red and edged in silver. 

“What do you think?” he asked his knights once he had dressed.

“Where did you get those?” Lys asked, almost laughing. “The rest of us don’t have to get clothes to match you, do we?”

“Is it that bad?” Kylo asked.

“No, no,” Lys said, standing up and walking over to him. “It’s just that it’s been quite some time since I’ve seen you wear anything that wasn’t black.” She ran her hand down one of his pleated sleeves, pulling gently on the fabric.

“He wears red all the time,” Hieron argued. “Usually from blood.”

“True,” Lys said. She grabbed his head to pull him down towards her, giving him a quick kiss. “You look fine.”

“I’m going to be on the bridge,” he said. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but if you need me, just call.”

He would have liked to spend more time with Hieron after being apart for so long, but he knew he would likely stay far too long. And Hieron and Lys would probably enjoy some time to themselves. Kylo knew how close they were.

When Kylo arrived on the bridge, he felt disappointed to see Captain Peavey in command. He knew Hux wasn’t scheduled, but he had hoped for anyone but Peavey. At least Teris was also present, fully dressed with his mask on. He looked at Teris for a moment, sensing something he could only describe as playfully troublesome. He smiled slightly as he realized what Teris was doing.

“Is there anything to report from Kestri?” Kylo asked, approaching Peavey.

“Not since the last update that was sent out,” the captain responded.

“I wouldn’t know about that seeing as how I was just released from medical.” He could have read the reports, but he always had so many messages, he didn’t feel like sifting through them. Not when someone could easily tell him what was going on. He turned his attention to a major standing nearby.

“You,” Kylo said, making the man flinch. “Has anything significant happened since the explosion?”

“Yes, sir,” the major said. “Uh, well, we believe we’ve captured all the leaders of the revolt. General Hux hasn’t scheduled their execution yet in case you wanted to get more information from them. We’ve collected information on others involved too, but most of them have already been released from custody. Besides our troops on the ground, things are mostly back to normal.”

“Thank you, Major,” Kylo said. “I’ll send one of my Knights to extract information before the execution.” He didn’t need to mention that his Knight would also be more than happy to perform the executions as well. 

“Supreme Leader?” Peavey called, getting Kylo’s attention. He turned to face him, but said nothing. “I’m not entirely sure what your Knight is doing on the bridge, but if he’s not doing anything, does he really have to be here?”

“Is there some reason you don’t want him on the bridge?” Kylo asked, hoping he was hiding any amusement. He knew he shouldn’t be amused by Teris’ childish actions, but he liked seeing Peavey uncomfortable.

“It’s just that he tends to make others somewhat… uncomfortable. It would make it easier for our people to focus on their work if he wasn’t here.”

“Major!” Kylo called out to the man he had spoken to earlier. “Is my Knight making you uncomfortable?”

“No, sir,” he replied, glancing at Teris. “I haven’t really noticed him.”

Kylo asked several more crew members, but they all said the same thing - Teris wasn’t bothering them and they didn’t mind if he was present. Perhaps not everyone was completely honest, but Kylo also knew that Teris had focused only on making Peavey uncomfortable.

“It seems as if you are the only one who has a problem, Captain,” Kylo said. “And I need him here to keep an eye on things.

“I understand, Supreme Leader.” Even as he said that, Kylo unintentionally picked up on Peavey’s thoughts. The older man had never learned to be careful with his thoughts, but Kylo had never called him out on it before.

“What was that, Captain?”

“I said I understand, sir” Peavey said.

“No, after that. The part you didn’t say out loud.” Kylo heard Teris laughing or more accurately, he felt it in the Force. He must have picked up on Peavey’s thoughts as well.

“I… I don’t know what you mean.”

“Sure you do,” Kylo said, grinning. “You were wondering why I’m here on the bridge when Hux isn’t here. What was your exact thought, again? Oh, yes. Why would I be here when the general isn’t here to suck my dick. I’m not sure which one of us should be more insulted by that. Perhaps we should ask him?”

Peavey looked embarrassed and started mumbling apologies. Not that Kylo really cared what the officer thought of him. While Peavey was still apologizing, Kyo simply turned and walked away. 

Kylo managed to remain somewhat busy for several hours, which surprised him. He couldn’t remember spending so much time on the bridge and actually having something to do. Of course, when times were more exciting, he usually was in the middle of battle. But even just dealing with the aftermath of a conflict gave him something to do. 

When he sensed Hieron and Lys had finished with their reunion, he let Hieron know about the prisoners on the planet for them to interrogate. Although not nearly as skilled as he was with pulling information from someone’s mind, Hieron was more than capable of the task. Anyone who proved more difficult could be sent to him, although he didn’t anticipate that happening.

Kylo planned on remaining on the bridge at least until Hieron completed their mission, but shortly after they landed on the planet, he received a meeting request from Hux. Since he didn’t really need to wait for Hieron, he left, heading for Hux’s quarters. If Hieron needed anything, Teris would ensure they got it.

Kylo walked into Hux’s quarters, unsurprised to find him at his desk, reading. Probably some report. He glanced up at him, a frown almost forming on his face before returning his attention to the report. Kylo knew he would finish what he was doing before talking to him, so he just stood, looming over Hux’s desk, wanting him to hurry.

“You can sit, you know,” Hux said, not looking up.

For a moment, Kylo considered sitting in Hux’s lap in order to get his attention, but he doubted that was the reason Hux had called him there. He was likely still angry about what he had done earlier and Kylo didn't want to make things any worse.

Finally, Hux put down the report and looked at Kylo, giving him his full attention. He stood from his desk and walked over, running a hand down Kylo’s pleated sleeve. “This does look nice on you,” he said softly.

“Hux,” Kylo started to raise his hand, wanting to touch him as well, but he knew that wasn’t why he was there. He took a step back, wanting to keep some space between them. “Why did you want to see me?”

“I heard you weren’t taking care of yourself,” Hux said, taking Kylo’s hand and leading him to his sofa. Kylo didn’t put up any resistance, wondering if he was wrong about why Hux had him come to his quarters. “From what I can tell, you were discharged from medical and went immediately to the bridge.”

Once they sat down, Hux kept hold of his hand, and Kylo stared at it, wondering just what Hux was up to. This was far from his usual behavior, and Kylo knew there had to be a reason for it. He wanted to look into Hux’s mind and see for himself, but he knew Hux would hate that. Even if he managed to go undetected, he didn’t want to do that to him. 

“Kylo?”

Hux had been speaking while Kylo had been staring at their hands, lost in his own thoughts. He lifted his gaze to meet Hux’s, and for a while, he just stared at him, studying every inch of his face. He didn’t realize Hux was still talking, not until Hux’s hands were on either side of his head.

“You need to go back to medical,” Hux said, pushing Kylo back so he was laying down. Hux sat on the very edge of the sofa, the only room left with Kylo’s large frame taking up the rest of the space. 

“I’m fine,” Kylo said, starting to sit up, but Hux put a hand on his shoulder. That wasn’t nearly enough to prevent Kylo from getting up, but he let Hux hold him down.

“I don’t think you’ve heard a single word I’ve said,” Hux said. “You probably have some kind of head trauma.”

“No, I don’t,” Kylo insisted. “I’ve been fine for hours. I just… got distracted. What were you saying?”

“I just want you to take care of yourself, Kylo,” he said with a sigh. “You need to rest and heal properly. It’s not as if you were needed on the bridge anyway.”

As gentle as Hux was with his hands, those words stung. Not needed. Deep down, he knew that. The First Order would continue to run smoothly if he never set foot on the bridge again. He could let Hux run things in all but name and everyone would be much happier. No one needed him. He knew that.

He sat up, pushing Hux away. Returning to the bridge was a tempting thought. He could prove that he was perfectly healed, while also making himself useful. But he would know that it wasn’t really true. Hux would know. He would always know that Kylo was useless. Kylo stood up, heading for the door, but stopped when Hux grabbed his wrist.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“My quarters. Since I’m not needed.” He tore his arm away from Hux and walked away quickly, not wanting him to try stopping him again. Kylo knew he might let him and he couldn't let Hux know just how much the truth hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise there is more Hux in the next chapter :) You can come bother me on [tumblr](http://threewinterssnow.tumblr.com)


	13. Chapter 13

As Kylo made his way down the hall to his quarters, he could sense that none of his Knights were inside. In fact, only Teris was still on the _Finalizer_ , Lys having accompanied Hieron to Kestri. Kylo would have liked to have them there, as surely, they would make him feel better, but part of him also was glad to be alone. That way, his Knights wouldn’t see how weak he was.

Once inside his quarters, he threw his usually unused desk against a wall, not caring about any damage he caused. He lifted the desk again, ready to pulverize it when he heard his door opening behind him. Dropping the desk to the floor, he turned to face the intruder, ready to destroy them instead. He had just reached out to grab them when he saw it was Hux. 

That shouldn’t have come as a surprise. He was the only one who could override his security code. Something he still needed to remember to fix. As mad as he was at Hux, he still didn’t want to hurt him. At least, not anymore than he might have already done. Kylo had felt his fear when he first walked in, although now, he couldn’t sense anything. 

“What do you want?” Kylo growled.

“I wanted to make sure you were alright,” Hux said, glancing towards the overturned desk. “Clearly, you’re not.”

“I don’t see how that’s your problem. Go away.”

“It is my problem,” Hux said, stepping towards him. “Because you didn’t even seem angry earlier, so I obviously did something to make you do this.”

“I told you to go away,” Kylo said again, heading for his bedroom. “I’m sure you have more important things to do.”

“You know what, Ren? You’re right. I really do. But here I am making an effort to make things work between us. If this is how you’re going to act, however, I don’t think it’s worth it no matter how good the sex is. Especially not if I have to deal with your Knights too.”

“That’s fine with me,” Kylo nearly shouted at him. He was barely controlling his temper and he hoped Hux would just leave. “My Knights can at least give me what I want.”

“Obviously, not. If that were true, you never would have come to me in the first place. They’re the only people in the galaxy who seem to tolerate your presence for more than five minutes, and even they never -”

Kylo forced Hux’s mouth shut, preventing him from finishing that sentence. He could feel Hux’s fear as he approached, but beneath that, he sensed jealousy, which took Kylo by surprise. He had no reason to be jealous of his Knights. 

Deciding he just wanted to be left alone, he released Hux and went into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Hopefully, Hux would take the hint and not follow him again. Having that short encounter with him made him even angrier than before and he kicked the nearest wall in frustration. 

Without even thinking about what he was going to do, he had his lightsaber in his hand. Before he could do any damage, the door opened and he ignited his blade as he turned towards the door. If Hux hadn’t learned not to follow him yet, he soon would.

It wasn’t Hux who stepped through the door but Teris. Without hesitation, he walked over to him and wrapped one arm around Kylo while the other reached for his hand that still held the lit saber. Kylo didn’t know which one of them turned it off, but it didn’t matter. He let the weapon fall to the floor as he collapsed against Teris.

“You should go,” Teris said.

“What?” Kylo asked before he realized Teris wasn’t speaking to him. He pushed himself away from his Knight and saw Hux standing in the doorway. Teris had calmed his anger, but he still couldn’t bring himself to talk to Hux.

“I need to speak with him,” Hux said.

“Not now,” Teris answered for Kylo. “He will speak to you when he’s ready.”

Teris pulled Kylo back to him and held onto him. Kylo had no idea how long they stayed like that, but by the time Teris stepped back he felt completely calm and relaxed. He didn’t feel great, but at least he no longer felt like destroying anything. Teris pulled Kylo’s saber from the ground and handed it back to him.

“Do you want me to make him leave?” Teris asked, glancing to the door.

Kylo was confused, but when he reached out with the Force, he sensed that Hux was sitting in the other room. He shook his head in response to the question, knowing that it would be more trouble than it was worth to make Hux leave. And Kylo imagined there had to be something very important to discuss if Hux had sat there waiting for him.

He and Teris walked into the front room and Kylo found himself staring at the floor, unable to look directly at Hux. For a while, none of them moved, then Teris gave him a quick hug and walked out the door.

“Do you want to sit down?” Hux asked as soon as they were alone. Kylo almost refused but found himself joining Hux on his couch. “I want you to know I didn’t mean it when I said you weren’t needed on the bridge. That’s why you’re upset, isn’t it?”

“I know it’s the truth,” Kylo mumbled.

“No, Kylo,” Hux said as he reached out to take his hand, but he pulled it away. “I only meant that they didn’t need you right then. You could have been resting.”

“You don’t have to lie to make me feel better. I’ve been doing my best and I know it’s not good enough. I -”

Kylo didn’t have a chance to finish what that sentence because Hux suddenly grabbed him and pulled him against his body. Kylo tried to push himself away but Hux held on tight. If Kylo really tried, he could have gotten away, but it didn’t take long for him to decide he didn’t want to. 

“I know, Kylo. I know how hard you’ve been working. You’re doing a good job. Many of the officers are really starting to like you. The troopers as well.”

“I don’t care if they like me,” Kylo said. 

“It’s a good thing, Kylo. You’re inspiring loyalty among the ranks like Snoke never could. Conditioning is one thing, but you have potential to do so much more. They’re still talking about the way you defended a lieutenant and now you’ve put yourself in harms way, which very likely saved some of the troopers lives. Having your people like you, or even love you, can only be a benefit.”

Kylo wanted to ask if Hux felt the same way, because he was the only one Kylo wanted to love him. With the way Hux held him and was running his fingers through his hair, Kylo almost thought that maybe he did feel something for him, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

“Of course,” Hux continued, “I really hope you don’t put yourself in danger like that again. Being well liked doesn’t matter if you’re dead.”

“What do you want?” Kylo asked, lifting his head from Hux’s shoulder slightly. 

“What do you mean?”

“You’re only nice to me when you want something. So what is it?”

“That’s not true. And even if it was, is it so wrong if I wanted to do something a little different?”

“Yes. There’s a reason you’re doing this.” Kylo finally pushed himself away from Hux and sat back down on the couch. He did briefly consider just taking what he wanted from Hux’s mind, but he really wanted Hux to just tell him.

“It’s not that I want something,” Hux said. “I just talked to your Knight and after she finished threatening me, she mentioned that you might like it if I was a bit... gentler with you.”

“Lys said that?” Kylo had trouble believing that Lys would have said anything of the sort to Hux. 

“Well, she implied it.”

 

“And she threatened you?” That part didn’t come as a surprise, although it was surprising that Hux would care about her threats. “Is that why you’re trying to be nice?”

“Of course not. It’s just become apparent that just having sex isn’t enough for you, but…” Hux glanced away for a moment before turning his attention back to Kylo. “I don’t know if you’re interested in that. With me. But I am open to the idea.”

“Oh,” Kylo said, finally realizing what Hux was up to. It might not be an ideal situation, but if Hux would let him touch him, Kylo wouldn’t say no. 

“So is that what you want? Or should it just be sex between us?”

“No,” Kylo answered quickly. He reached out and took Hux’s hand and held it tightly. “I mean, I want that. I want you to touch me. And I want to touch you. Is that okay?”

Hux answered with by smiling and then leaning against his chest. They were both fully dressed, and Kylo hoped that was enough to prevent Hux from feeling how his heart rate increased. But given the way he could feel it pounding in his chest, Kylo was certain Hux knew. He took several deep breaths, hoping to calm himself down. When he finally got over the shock of Hux laying against him, he realized he was simply sitting there so he quickly remedied that by putting his arms around Hux.

He briefly wondered if Hux had been right about him having head trauma. But he knew that it wasn’t a dream and he was certain he wasn’t hallucinating or having some kind of vision. Hux was actually there, in his arms. For a brief moment, Kylo felt nothing but joy. But he quickly remembered Hux wasn’t doing it because he liked him.

“What do you want me to do?” he asked.

“Right now, just this,” Hux said, turning his head so he could kiss his neck. “But then, I want to take these clothes off of you and -”

“Hux.” Kylo interrupted, pushing Hux away from him without actually releasing him. “What do you want from me in return?”

“Ah. That.” Hux fell silent, and Kylo wondered just what he could be hesitant about. He’d never been shy about asking for anything before. “It’s actually something I’d like to discuss with you after. It might ruin the mood.”

“And if I don’t want to do it?” Kylo asked.

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Hux said. 

Part of Kylo knew he shouldn’t think twice about it and just take what Hux was offering. But he couldn’t stop thinking about all the things that could possibly go wrong. What if Hux asked for something Kylo couldn’t give him, and he got mad? What if it became the last time Hux had sex with him or let him touch him?

“As much as I’d always wanted you to think more, this is not the time. Or do you actually have head trauma?”

“My head’s fine,” Kylo said, pulling Hux against him once again while trying not to think about the negative consequences. He wanted Hux, and he couldn’t bring himself to say no. Kylo rested his ceeck on top of his head and Hux started kissing him on his neck.

Eventually, Hux moved so he could kiss him higher, kissing all the way up his neck to his jaw and then his lips. Kylo eagerly returned the kiss, a bit surprised at Hux’s apparent enthusiasm. Before, Kylo had the impression he tolerated kissing but didn’t enjoy it. What Hux was doing with his tongue changed that opinion quickly, and Kylo found himself moaning into his mouth.

Hux slowly broke apart from him, and although Kylo was reluctant to let him stop, when he felt Hux’s body sliding down towards the ground, he let him go. Hux removed Kylo’s boots, and then his own before turning his attention to Kylo’s pants, kissing Kylo’s bare skin as he slowly pulled them down over his hips. 

Kylo kicked his pants off while Hux continued to kiss the soft skin on the inside of his legs, sometimes dragging his teeth against him. Sometimes, he kissed him high enough on his thigh that he could feel his breath on his cock, and he couldn’t help but whimper, wanting more.

“You’re so needy,” Hux murmured, his fingers lightly brushing along the same trail he’d just kissed.

“Hux,” Kylo begged. 

“Yes, Kylo? What do you want me to do?”

Hux on his knees asking for instructions was something Kylo never could have imagined, but there he was and Kylo didn’t even know what to say. Instead, he grabbed him and pulled him back into his arms, realizing only after he held him that he had used the Force to lift him up. If Hux cared, he didn’t say anything.

He held Hux close as he kissed him, but it wasn’t enough. Hux seemed to have the same idea, as his hands were reaching for the buttons on Kylo’s robe. As Hux worked on that, Kylo reached out with the Force and started to remove Hux’s uniform.

“I’m glad you’ve finally learned a good use for those powers,” Hux said, as he helped remove his clothing. 

“I can show you more next time you’re on the bridge,” Kylo said with a grin.

“Don’t you dare,” Hux growled at him, but kissing along his now bare collarbone anyway. Kylo had just reached for Hux’s ass when he felt something in the Force. He immediately lifted Hux up and carried him into the bedroom, closing the door as he dropped Hux on the bed. Shortly after, he could hear the sound of voices.

“Kylo, what’s going on?” Hux asked, glancing between him and the door.

“They wanted to give me their report,” Kylo answered, glaring at the door while telepathically telling Lys and Hieron it was not a good time. But, of course, they already knew that. “They won’t bother us.”

“Are you sure?” Hux looked towards the door again.

“Yes,” Kylo said, then he grinned as a thought struck him. “Unless you want them to. Is that it Hux? You want someone to walk in on us when my dick’s in your ass?”

“What’s wrong with you?” He grabbed Kylo and pulled him down, kissing him again. “Maybe save that idea for later?”

Kylo sent a reminder to his Knights to stay out of the room, and made sure they acknowledged the order. Sometimes, they could conveniently forget things when it suited them. Once he did that, he turned his attention solely to Hux, who seemed to be making an attempt to be quieter than usual.

With Hux’s mind so accessible, Kylo couldn’t help but see exactly what Hux wanted him to do, and what would drive him over the edge. When he finished, Hux was nearly screaming his name. Even his breathing was so heavy that Kylo felt certain it could be heard outside his quarters. 

Kylo let himself rest on top of Hux for a moment, relishing the feel of their bodies pressed together. But he knew it couldn’t last and he got up before Hux told him to get off. Hux didn’t move at all when Kylo did, and he realized he could have stayed longer - Hux was still in a state of bliss and didn’t seem like he wanted to move anytime soon.

Since he was already up, he went to the refresher, wondering how long it’d take Hux to leave. He’d already accepted that he’d get emotional after sex, and he’d made the mistake of letting Hux see the last time. That couldn’t happen again, and he hoped Hux would manage to get up soon.

He hated the fact that he couldn’t control his emotions. The rage he usually felt was one thing, but after being with Hux, he never felt angry. Only sorrow. And he couldn’t stop himself from crying, because he knew he was being used. He was letting Hux do it, and he hated himself for it. He wished he could say no to him, but some part of him wanted to think that maybe, just maybe, Hux might someday like him too.

While trying to get his emotions under control, the door slid open and Kylo turned his head to see Hux. He turned away immediately, not wanting to look at him. Of course, it was too late and Hux had seen him.

“Kylo?”

He felt a hand on his shoulder, but before he could push him away, the hand disappeared abruptly. Looking up once more, he saw the refresher was very crowded. Lys, Hieron, and Teris were all there, Lys pulling Hux away, while Hieron and Teris sat next to Kylo and put his arms around him.

“Get out of here!” Lys snapped at Hux. 

“Is he okay?” Hux asked.

Lys kept yelling, but Kylo didn’t pay attention. Instead, he focused on the feeling of his Knights’ arms around him, sensing them through the Force, their calm energies helping him relax and bring his emotions under control. 

Eventually, Teris and Hieron pulled him to his feet and brought him back to his bedroom where they wrapped him up in a blanket before letting him settle back down on the floor. They remained with him, and Lys soon came in through the door leading to the front room of his quarters. She joined them on the floor, resting her head on his bent knees.

It was a nice moment, but it didn’t last. Shortly after Lys sat down, Hux appeared in the doorway, drawing attention from Kylo and all three of his Knights. Knowing exactly what Lys wanted to do, Kylo reached out and grabbed her arm, not wanting her to leave him. And he didn’t want her to hurt Hux, either.

“Kylo, what’s wrong?” Hux asked. He was mostly dressed, wearing pants and his undershirt, but his hair was a mess. Kylo wanted to run his fingers through it and put things even more out of place. But thinking about touching Hux started to make him feel worse again so he closed his eyes, hoping that if he couldn’t see him, he might stop thinking about him.

“You,” Lys answered for Kylo.

“Kylo, I could feel you again,” Hux said. “That’s what you were feeling, right? It was terrible, whatever that was. Does that happen often?”

“Only when he’s with you,” Lys answered. “I’m glad you felt it. You deserve it.”

Hux said nothing, only turned and walked away. Kylo was almost glad he was gone, but found himself wishing he would have stayed. But even if Hux didn’t care about him, he at least had his Knights. They would never leave him.


	14. Chapter 14

Hux was avoiding Kylo. At first, Kylo was glad for it, sure that the general had nothing but cruel words for him after having seen him in such a weak and emotional state. He’d needed his Knights to defend him. Since then, he almost always had at least one of his Knights by his side, which helped with the feelings of loneliness, but eventually, he found he missed Hux.

He knew he shouldn’t want to continue his relationship with Hux. Lys had told him countless times that it wasn’t good for him, and Kylo knew she was right. But still, he wanted to be with him and no amount of reasoning would change that. But perhaps if Hux never spoke to him again - at least about things that weren’t Order business - Kylo wouldn’t have to worry about it.

Kylo told himself that he wouldn’t be the one to bring their relationship - or lack thereof - up with him. He wanted Hux to broach that topic so Kylo could pretend he didn’t care, but as the days passed, he grew tired of waiting. Wanting to speak to Hux in private, he waited until the end of his shift and made his way to his quarters, and not caring what Hux might think, he let himself in.

As soon as he stepped inside, he forgot everything he was going to say, as the sight before him caught him off guard. Hux sat behind his desk, and on the other side, Lys. No weapons were drawn. From the looks of things, the two had been having a friendly talk.

“Lys?” Kylo asked. “What are you doing here?”

“Just clearing a few things up with the general,” she said, standing up and walking over to him, planting a kiss on his cheek. “I suppose I can let him talk to you now.”

“What?” Kylo didn’t quite understand what she meant, but she left without answering. He turned to Hux, who was walking over to him.

“So,” he said, taking his hand, “we really need to talk.”

“Why were you with Lys?” he asked, walking with Hux as he led him to the couch. Hux sat down, and Kylo did as well, keeping as much distance between them while also letting Hux hold his hand.

“I asked her for some help,” Hux said. “Clearly, we’ve got some issues to work out and your Knights have been fairly determined to keep the two of us apart.”

“That wasn’t your idea?” 

“Of course not. I wanted to talk to you. Because looking back on things, I think I’ve made a mistake when it comes to you.”

“You don’t have to drag it out,” Kylo grumbled, starting to pull his hand away. He knew where Hux was going with that, and he didn’t need to hear it. He stopped when Hux tightened his grip.

“Don’t leave, Kylo,” he said. If Kylo didn’t know better, he would have thought Hux was almost pleading with him. “This isn’t going to be easy for either of us, but we need to talk. I don’t want to keep hurting you.”

“Hurting me?” 

“I take it you’ve been upset whenever we have sex. Your Knight implied as much and now that I’ve seen it myself, it’s not too hard to put the pieces together. I don’t want to do that to you, Kylo, but I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”

“It’s not you,” Kylo lied. Even if he could believe Hux was being completely honest with him, Kylo didn’t want to tell him the truth. He couldn’t. “I just get… emotional. I can’t control it, okay?”

“That’s why you always leave right away,” Hux said. “You didn’t want me to see?”

Kylo nodded in response. That much was at least true. Hux put his hand on his shoulder and Kylo pulled away, not in the mood for whatever game Hux was up to. He knew Hux must have some plan, something he hoped to gain from their conversation and Kylo just wanted it to be over.

“I understand if you need to be alone,” Hux said. “But I wouldn’t object if you stayed. You can at least come back when you’ve calmed down.”

“Okay,” Kylo agreed, knowing nothing would actually change. Perhaps if Hux was actually sincere. But Kylo knew he only wanted something. Something big, probably, if Kylo were to judge on how much effort he was putting in.

“Will you need your Knights to help you? That’s fine with me, although I would prefer if they don’t come barging in again.”

As soon as he mentioned the Knights, Kylo sensed that now familiar hint of jealousy from Hux. He hadn’t planned on bringing that up, but since Hux seemed so determined to talk, he decided he might as well. “Why are you jealous of them?”

“Your Knights? I’m not jealous. I -”

“I can feel it in the Force. Whenever I’m with them and just now when you mentioned them.”

“Do you really want to talk about that?” Hux asked. Kylo nodded and Hux sighed. “Okay. First of all, I want you to know that you can tell me the truth. It won’t change things between us.”

“What are you talking about?” 

“The very first time we had sex. You said you’d never done it before. But then I look at how you are with your Knights. And you’ve known them for years before you met me. So I can’t help but think you weren’t entirely honest with me.”

“You think me and my Knights…” Kylo stopped talking, trying to wrap his mind around what Hux was saying. “Why would I lie about that?”

“I don’t know, and to be honest, I don’t particularly care. I just want to know the truth.”

“Why? You’re upset that I might have sucked other dicks besides yours?”

“No, Kylo. The only thing I’d be upset about is if you lied to me. Can’t you just tell me that much?”

“No,” Kylo said, but he quickly realized what that sounded like. Hux was already standing up but Kylo grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. “I mean, I didn’t lie to you, Hux. My relationship with the Knights isn’t like that. It never was.”

“Thank you,” Hux said, a slight smile crossing his face for a brief moment. They sat in silence for several moments until Hux finally spoke up again. “Can I ask you something else about them?”

“If you want,” Kylo said, shrugging slightly.

“Why haven’t they been around? I feel like you need them. I clearly saw one of them diffuse one of your tantrums. It seems like you should always have them around.”

“Snoke,” Kylo said with a sigh. “He didn’t like them. He did his best to keep as apart. Because of that, actually. He claimed that they kept me from truly giving myself to the dark side. When I lose control and give into the rage. That’s what Snoke wanted. And they’ve always been able to help me control myself.”

“So Snoke is the one truly responsible for all the damage to my ship,” Hux said.

“You can go yell at his corpse if you want,” Kylo muttered. 

“Well, you have your Knights now,” Hux said. He reached out and took Kylo’s hand again. “And you have me too. If you want me.”

“You must really want something,” Kylo said. “A promotion, isn’t it? That’s what you’re after.”

“No, Kylo, it’s not. I was never fucking you because of what you could give me. That was just an excuse. I didn’t want you to know how much I wanted you, and then, I didn’t want you to know that I cared or that I wanted more than just sex.”

Kylo wasn’t sure what Hux was trying to say. Surely he couldn’t be saying he wanted a real relationship with him. He definitely couldn’t be saying he wanted him for more than just sex. Hux hadn’t even wanted sex in the first place. He wanted the Supreme Leader to owe him favors. 

“I know I should have said something. I should have at least made an effort to show you I do care about you. And I’m sorry for that, Kylo.”

“You’re not making sense, Hux,” Kylo said, finally pulling his hand away. “We both know you’re only with me so I’ll do things for you. I know you don’t care about me.”

“That’s not true. I may not be the best at showing it, but I am trying. I think you are too. Is this something you’d even want? A relationship with me? We’d have to discuss the exact parameters, of course and -”

“Shut up,” Kylo interrupted, not wanting to listen to him drone on. He wanted to believe him. Wanted to believe that Hux wanted him. That it wasn’t just because Kylo could give him what he wanted. But it just didn’t seem like Hux. He didn’t care about anything except his position. Kylo didn’t even think he was capable of it.

“Why?” Kylo finally asked. “Why are you telling me all this now?”

“Because I want this to work. And I’m not sure there’s anyway it can unless we’re completely honest with each other. I’ve already told you what I want. I just need to know what you want.”

“I…” Kylo almost told him the truth - that he was the only thing he wanted. He just barely managed to avoid saying anything he’d regret. “You’ve felt this way from the beginning?”

“Yes,” Hux said.

“So why did you turn me down?”

“I didn’t know what else to do. It was so unexpected and I actually thought you were mocking me. I think if I’d had more time and realized you were serious, I might have given you a different answer.”

“And then I ruined it. By making it an order.” Kylo wished he’d never done that. “I didn’t really think about it. I was never going to hurt you. Not like that. I never wanted to hurt you.”

“I know. You’ve been trying. And I appreciate it. I suppose you might want more time to think this through. We can discuss it later after -”

“No,” Kylo said. “You don’t have to go through all this, Hux. You can have your damn promotion, okay? And you don’t have to sleep with me. Is that what you want?”

“Kylo, I’ve told you that’s not what this is about. How can I prove it to you?” As soon as he finished speaking, Hux grabbed one of Kylo’s hands and lifted it to his face. “The Force. Read my mind. Then you’ll know.”

“You want me to read your mind?” That was not what Kylo expected. Hux had always insisted that Kylo not do that. And he couldn’t imagine what he hoped to gain by doing so. Not unless he actually was sincere. It wasn’t as if he had suddenly learned how to trick a Force user. But he couldn’t allow himself to believe what Hux was saying.

He rested his hand on Hux’s cheek and reached out with the Force and immediately realized he’d been blocking himself off from Hux. Once those blocks were removed, he was hit with a wave of emotions. Kylo didn’t bother to sort through them, instead focusing only on his fear. And it wasn’t fear of pain. Hux was worried Kylo would reject him. He didn’t need to find anything else within Hux’s mind and he pulled his hand back, but couldn’t figure out what to say.

“Kylo?” Hux was barely looking at him, and Kylo couldn’t remember a time Hux had ever seemed so fragile. So human. 

Kylo reached forward and pulled Hux into a tight hug, still not quite believing any of it was real. That Hux wanted him. That Hux cared about him. He had no idea what to say to him, but he did his best to let him know just how he felt through the Force. When Hux kissed him, Kylo knew he’d received the message.

Later, they both lay in Hux’s bed, Kylo laying in Hux’s arms while he cried softly against him. Hux just held him and kissed him on the top of his head until he calmed down. It didn’t take long for the tears to stop, and unlike before, he didn’t feel lonely and dismal. 

Once he had calmed down, he propped himself up on an elbow in order to get a better look at Hux. He lightly traced a finger down his body and smiled as he thought about their earlier conversation.

“I suppose this time, I can take your measurements,” he said as he dropped back down to the bed in order to kiss Hux’s neck.

“Why would you need to do that?”

“For your new uniform,” Kylo said between kisses.

“I wasn’t aware I needed one.”

“You will. Because you can have the promotion. Grand Marshal.”

“Kylo.” Hux pushed him away, but kept his hand on the side of his face. “You don’t have to give me anything. I just want you.”

“I know,” Kylo said, reaching out and running his hand through Hux’s hair. “But you deserve it. You already do the work. You should have had this long ago.”

“Only if you insist,” Hux said, pulling him back in for another kiss.

“I do, Grand Marshal Hux.”

“Thank you, Supreme Leader.”

 

Kylo made his way onto the bridge. It wasn’t where he planned on talking to Hux, but it was the easiest place to find him. In the year since his promotion, Kylo had tried to convince Hux he could take it easy and take less shifts on the bridge - there were plenty of other capable officers and unless there was a major event, the Grand Marshal’s presence wasn’t required.

But Hux took his duty very seriously. It seemed like more and more older officers retired every week, and as Hux promoted replacements, he wanted to ensure they all could handle their new duties. It was almost endearing how well he took care of his crew, except that meant less time for him to spend with Kylo.

Not that Hux would neglect the Supreme Leader. If Kylo really needed him, he could always order him away from what he was doing for a quick fuck. But Kylo was needy, as Hux liked to remind him. Fortunately, his Knights - who now permanently lived on the Finalizer for the most part - were also able to spend more time with him, which helped sate his need for physical contact.

His Knights were even getting along with Hux, which made Kylo happier than he would have thought. As he approached Hux, getting ready to ask that nerve-wracking question, he saw he was talking to Lys, likely planning their next move against the Resistance. They hadn’t eliminated them yet, but the Resistance hadn’t attacked them in months either. Kylo had stopped worrying about them as much, but Lys and Hux both were of the opinion to always be on guard.

“Grand Marshal,” Kylo called, getting his attention, although surely, Hux knew he was there already. They hadn’t solved the issue of their unintentional bond, but like many other things, they simply ceased to think of it as a problem.

“Supreme Leader,” Hux said, a small smile appearing on his face. 

“I need to talk to you.” Kylo looked to Lys and added, “Alone.”

She didn’t move immediately. Instead, she touched his mind with the Force, questioning him. Like all the Knights, she knew what he planned on asking Hux, and she nodded to him, but still, she didn’t leave. Turning her attention to Hux, she said, “Remember. No matter what, I will make good on that promise if you hurt him.”

“Lys,” Kylo groaned. “This is not the time.”

Finally, she left, giving Kylo the moment he needed alone with Hux. Of course, they really weren’t alone since the rest of the bridge crew was there, but they were all too focused on their own tasks to pay much attention to Hux and Kylo. 

“Is something happening?” Hux asked. “You’re nervous.”

“No,” Kylo assured him, feeling awkward bringing up the question with Lys’s recent threat. She’d likely done that on purpose. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

“I was thinking about your job. And about how you deserve another promotion. Of sorts.”

“Another promotion? Supreme Leader, there’s no higher rank. And honestly, there’s no need for one.”

“Technically, there is. And just like before, you’re already carrying out the duties of that position. It would just make it more official. It would also make me very happy.”

“Well, I think you’ll need to explain what you’re talking about because I have no idea.”

“Hux, I want you to marry me.”

Hux remained silent and Kylo thought he might have made a mistake in asking him. Maybe it was too much, too soon. What they had was good, and now, Kylo felt like he might have ruined it all.

“This isn’t the best place, Kylo,” Hux whispered, looking around at the others on the bridge.

“They already know,” Kylo said. They’d kept their relationship secret, but everyone had noticed that they were getting along and had made assumptions. “Or at least they suspect. Who cares what they think? You’re the Grand Marshal, and if you want it, Consort of the Supreme Leader.”

“We’re not calling me that,” Hux said.

“So you’ll do it?”

“Kylo, that’s a stupid question. Of course I’ll marry you.”

Kylo smiled and just barely managed to refrain from pulling Hux into a kiss. Surely, everyone would know soon enough, but Kylo would leave it to Hux to disclose their relationship. He didn’t have long to wait. Hux grabbed Kylo and kissed him right there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this fic has made me want to write more kylux so there will be more stuff. Yay? You can come bother me on [tumblr](http://threewinterssnow.tumblr.com) and ask me about birds.


End file.
